Husband vs liege

[76561199069605909]

I'm playing female this time, and married Jarl Surdun, which automatically made me Nord.

This Surdun happens to be a good-natured - I prefer calling "sweet" - lord, so he kept patrolling his fief (Jelbegi castle), while other vassals nicely joined the Marshall (Turya) and me and sieged and took Vaegir, Swadian and most of Khergit fiefs.

I asked a few fiefs for myself, and some for Surdun. Trouble is, I can ask other lords to support me, but not my choice - even if it's my husband.

So eventually Surdun and Ragnar got upset with each other, and Ragnar indicted Surdun for treason. So Surdun is now Emir Surdun. We had a couple Khergit castles left when Surdun was kicked out, and I was Marshall. Currently Khergits are defeated too.

It can be really frustrating to play as a vassal!

Is it possible to improve relationship between husband and liege in any way? Like some "resolve dispute" quest?

Funnily, Surdun'd given me a few of those, to make Ragnar and Faarn patch up, etc., but nothing for himself!

Will my in-laws (Harald, Kaeteli or Surdun's mom) be able to help me get Surdun back in Nords' fold on cordial terms with Ragnar? Incidentally, I'd at one point asked Harald to lay siege to Nelag castle, and sadly he got arrested in that castle! Surdun then laid siege and got the castle for himself. But Ragnar still didn't give Nelag to Surdun, which is unfair.

On the other hand, though, I had wrested Slezkh Castle for Surdun - I'd gotten Marmun to defect with it, and later Ragnar sacked Marmun, leaving the castle with Nords. I guess Surdun lacked the renown for the third castle (since he mostly stayed around Jelbegi castle).

[Včelí medvídek]

Sadly - no. This is cycle that is bit plague for any lategame, cus there is cycle of denouncing, liege taking fiefs for himself which piss of more lords and so on.. resulting lords siwtch sides left and right all the time (you have only limited control over your own faction - but in Native it take lot of effort)

There are mods where is possible improve cohersion in faction like Floris, but it is not reliable and iirc you can denounce some lord in eyes of his liege but opposite is not available,

I personally play mostly PoP where you can turn off vassals switching sides compeltely so lords stay in faction until it is destroyed, similar AWOIAF with static wars options.

[76561199069605909]

Curiously, I could continue getting Resolve Dispute quests from Emir Surdun, to resolve disputes between Nord vassals and/or Ragnar.

Btw, does the Denounce Lord quest actually help?

I mean, as a novice, I wanted to keep good relations with all lords, but after my earlier play through where I became king, I realised some lords are best sent out of Calradia.

[Včelí medvídek]

Originally posted by Yudhishthira:

Curiously, I could continue getting Resolve Dispute quests from Emir Surdun, to resolve disputes between Nord vassals and/or Ragnar.

Btw, does the Denounce Lord quest actually help?

I mean, as a novice, I wanted to keep good relations with all lords, but after my earlier play through where I became king, I realised some lords are best sent out of Calradia.

If you are making own kingdom than what you want is maximum relation with good natured lords and get them into your kingdom - so long as they get some fief, they should stay loyal.

Martial usually too but they are more sensitive to eg. give fief to anyone else.

bad tempered, etc. - ignore those. They will change their loyalty at first opportunity and take their fiefs with them.

Denounce lord - after quest he will be kicked off faction in some timesframe. I belive it is more scripted result than just worsening relations.

[76561199069605909]

I became king in a previous playthrough.

In this one, I was trying to get Ragnar all of Calradia.

I continued playing with this aim, but when Ragnar indicted Reamald (our then Marshall), I snapped.

Luckily for me, Surdun had become Count Surdun and held Veluca (one of my favourite cities!). I asked him to rethink his allegiance to Garveth, and became queen.

I'm continuing the game in that direction, since I could snatch Gerald, Harald and Knuddar (with their fiefs) from Ragnar, and later Dhiyul too (yes, he joined Ragnar too, and had Tihr and an ex-Rhodok castle).

I'll probably return to older saves and see if I can continue drudging for Ragnar and get him all of Calradia. I guess alternatively, I could conquer everything except Ragnar's own fiefs and then become his vassal again - that would also unlock Kingmaker, right?

Becoming monarch oneself seems easier, because it gives you more control, and also because of the "Right to rule" mechanic. As you recruit lords for yourself, your RTR goes up, and new lords become easier to take. I.e., when recruiting, the vassal says, "in this case, many would understand" (the defection). This doesn't happen when serving another monarch - but does this work with challengers (i.e., I'm recruiting for Lethwin or Arwa)?

I guess even this goal might be easier to achieve by first conquering most of the map as a monarch oneself, joining the challenger only when just the reigning monarch's fiefs are left.

[Včelí medvídek]

Kingmaker is about finish rebelion with claimant.

Joining with owning whole map to remaining king will trigger Manifest Destiny.

And it is most reasonable way how do it, because as lord you will see how you liege keep reward newly conquered castles and cities to lords that are switching sides all the time, making you need conquer them over and over...

Only reasonable control you have as king yourself.

Claimant mission works ok, because you act as monarch until rebellion is finished (after you are permanenet marshall) so you just need eliminate faction + if you prepare for it and having good relation and persuasion you can convince lot of lords join you right away (or simply pick losing faction and conquer their last fief)

EDIT: You are right with RTR as in convince lord it is aprt of formula. However good natured lords you really want is generally not possible convince this way at all.