Hello everyone and welcome to the second dev diary for Crusader Kings II: Charlemagne!I'm Tobias Bodlund, Scripter on the CK2 team. Today we'll discuss two new game features that we are really excited about. One has to do with titles and the other has to do with stories. Oh, and we've also changed something that has to do with murders.In Crusader Kings 2: Charlemagne, rulers will no longer be restricted to the predefined de jure kingdoms and empires on the map when they wish to take a step up in rank. Any duke that has a large enough realm and enough prestige can now declare himself a king. The new kingdom will initially have no de jure lands, but it will gain them with time (if it survives). In the same way, a powerful king can declare a new empire. The new title will inherit its name and coat of arms from the primary duchy or kingdom title that the ruler had before.This new feature should open up new ways for players to shape the world, and you'll see new titles arising according to the unique sequence of events that unfolds in your specific campaign.Along with this comes new support for modders to dynamically change the coat of arms for any title through events or decisions or via the history files.Another new feature is something we've wanted to add to Crusader Kings II for a long time. As you play through a long campaign, you are effectively creating the epic story of your dynasty, and we've always felt that it would be nice to create some kind of record of this, something that enables you to look back on your history and that you can also keep as a record after the game. This is why we've now added the Dynasty Chronicle.The Chronicle will register any important events that happen to the characters you play, such as births, marriages, wars, deaths, important decisions etc. It will also mention major world events such as the arrival of the Mongols, the Crusades and the start of the Viking Age. You will be able to review your family chronicle at any time through the in-game interface, and you will also be able to export it to a text file so that you can keep it and share it with your friends. Maybe you'll even want to format it in a fancy font, print it in color and show it off properly.Finally, for todays dev diary, let's talk about assassinations. There are two major changes being done here - and this part is free content, meaning it will be in the patch for everyone whether you have the Charlemagne DLC or not.The first change is that the assassination diplomacy action has been removed. Since we introduced plots in Crusader Kings II, we've really had two different and wholly separated systems for assassinations. No longer. The click-to-assassinate mechanic was, to be honest, somewhat obsolete considering how the game has evolved over the past few years. From now you'll have to run a proper plot in order to kill someone, which also makes for much more interesting gameplay.The second change to assassinations is that we've added a way for you to defend yourself from those who would plot your untimely death. There is now a new decision called "Go Into Hiding", which allows you to remove yourself from the public eye for as long as you desire and thus greatly decrease the chance of any murder plots against you succeeding. The decision is available at any time that there is a known or suspected murder plot against you (you might be wrong of course, but being paranoid doesn't mean that they're not actually out to get you). This new mechanic will have a number of new events associated with it.You will also be able to send your spouse or any of your children into hiding in the same way - provided they are not rulers themselves, they are in your court, and that there is a credible threat against them.You may come out of hiding, or take your dependants out of hiding, at any time you wish.Hiding away in the inner rooms of your castle for prolonged periods of time does have its price, however. Your inability to hold court means that you will suffer a reduction to your diplomacy attribute while in hiding, and your vassals with be less loyal due to your absence. You will also be unable to hold feasts and tournaments, travel, lead armies and all those other things that would require you to leave your hiding place and step out into that evil and dangerous outside world.There are of course also other risks associated with hiding. People living in relative isolation during extended periods have at times been known to... how to put it... suffer certain effects to their personality. But I'm sure you'll be fine!