Alright, this is my THIRD story...this time, there will be NO other games allowed until I get this done...the last game, my Persian Empire...fell out because I was a moron, played as the Persians on a random map, and accidentally overwrote the save file. x_x

So, here is the story of the German Reich!

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Qualities : This is made on a slightly modified version of Teturkhan's Test of Time. Some cities have been added, many cities have changed owners, the Celts have become the Balkans/South Slavs while the Hungarians have been turned into the Austrian Empire.

More roads have been added based on major trade routes, and the slave trade is emulated by the fact that most pre-Industrial units can enslave and create a worker, which in turn can be sold abroad for money.

Asian Pirate Ships and Pirate Ships can be build by the major powers, provided they have the blue Buddha Relics and Coptic Cross respectively. Germany, France, Spain and Britain, thanks to their real naval races, also have the ability to acquire Asian Pirate ships - they just have to convince China to give up a Buddha Relic. ;3

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The First and Last Reich - 4000 - 3000 BC

As a child, I remember how the German empire straddled the globe. I was too young of course to really care for the most part, but it was still interesting. Becoming a historian, I dug very deep into our legacy. I went as far back as 4000 BC, far before the German state existed.

Those were days of grave uncertainty. You were lucky to see your grandchildren be born, or see your children reach maturity. You never knew when Barbarian hordes would come in and sack your city, steal your women and massacre most of those you knew and cared for. But most of all, it was an age of strong localism, there were no truely great empires.

In Germany's case, we started off as a medium-sized people. Over the generations, we had spread out across our home continent of Europe, stretching from Amsterdam in the West to Riga in the East, far along the Baltic coast. We were far flung, but rivers, forests, and mileage greatly crippled our potential to be an empire. We had little infrastructure, and the determined attacker would devour our people with little difficulty.
Within a few hundred years, some towns and villages gained an edge over others. In the western part of the empire, near the Rhine, Amsterdam became the most powerful village, trumping Dortmund and building the fortress of Luxembourg. In Central Germany, Berlin founded many colonies, such as Hamburg. And far to the east, Riga and Danzig each consolidated their rule over the nearby lands, forming 4 core regions of the German people.

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Within years, we also had met other major groupings of people. To the north were the Vikings, who modern biologists trace our origin to. To the east were the Russians, a vast horde of people with considerable power on the Eurasian landmass. Finally, to the south were the Austrians, who also had considerable power. The German people were rather small in terms of landmass compared to these other giants, but enough pressure would bring Germany the prosperity and unity it desired.
This leadership came from the city of Berlin, in the center of the German peoples. Fielding a vast military machine that kept central Germany tightly under it's rule, Berlin established relations with the Vikings and acquired details of their landmass via maps, at the cost of depleting much of it's treasury. Berlin also met the Austrians at the city of Prague, and even tried to send diplomats to Riga, Danzig and the cities of Russia.
All across the world, the dominant political system was one of tight social and political controls, regulated not by a Constitution or religion, but by military might. The main way of increasing stability and hurrying projects was by forcing criminals and peasants to work on them to the moment they died. A cult of personality was built around the center of the military's power, known as the Despot. Despotism reigned supreme across all continents and cultures. Germany was no exception.
Berlin paved it's way to leadership - literally. Large groups of workers were sent to build routes through the forests and towards Danzig and Riga, and the small landlocked nation south of it - Poland. By connecting all major cities, Berlin hoped to facilitate trade and a sense of nationalism, or at least make it easier for their armies to crush their opponents and declare themselves rulers of Germany.
In a few more years, we noticed the movements of foreigners who came to be known as the French and British. We saw the British send a large expedition of settlers on a voyage out of their island home...only to see the fleet devestated by a large fleet of Pirates. A sad day for Britain - a GREAT day for the Berliners.
We acquired maps of Britain and France, Germany's world slowly taking shape. However, it did not excuse the fact that Germany remained rather behind in technology. We were too busy fighting amongst ourselves, while Britain and France had mastered the arts of pottery, masonry, the alphabet, among other things.
After some completion of the road, the Berliners became all the more aggressive. They saw Scandinavia as an imperialistic power that would conquer Germany if given permission. As such, they planned to annex Copenhagen and kick them off mainland Europe. This would be facilitated by building a road east of the Elbe river near Berlin, half of our public works being devoted to this military road, the other half continuing to build paths towards Danzig - which was already connected to Riga, thanks to a convenient trade route known as the Amber Road.

Germano - Viking War

The war against Scandinavia began in 3450 BC. It was a quick battle, and Copenhagen was taken by our archers with minimal casualties. The objective was accomplished, and the Berlin government would wait out the war until it could acquire favorable terms. Several Scandinavians were also acquired as slaves, these were sent back to Berlin and sold.
The 3400's BC was a time of prosperity for Berlin and all Germany. The Berliners now controlled Copenhagen and had sealed off their northern front, they had also finished their road to Danzig, and they met the Poles of the East for the first time. Only 600 years into existence, Germany had become more centralised, all that was left was for Berlin to 'convince' the rest of the German states to become 'allies'.
The Berliners did this by advancing themselves far beyond other countries. In exchange for giving up it's Warrior Code of honor and knowledge of the arts of war, Britain yielded the arts of pottery, ceremonial burial, and how to create an alphabet. Berlin also heavily bankrupted itself with 2/3 of it's annual GNP being given to Britain for these technologies, and all money on hand was handed over as well. But to the Berliners, conquest of the Scandinavians and the rest of Germany would outweight the costs of doing it.

Berlin - Vienna Competition

Berlin's aggression continued in 3250 BC, with the invasion of the city of Prague on the outskirts of Austria. Berlin felt that all the regions of Germany should be united under it's hegemony, which the city of Vienna contested, as it dominated Austria. Thus, war broke out, with most of Germany coming to aid Berlin.

Treaty of Oslo - Ends the Scandinavian - Berliner War

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3200 BC saw further expansion of Berlin's empire. The Scandinavians, tired and war weary, chose to sign a peace treaty and surrender. The treaty of Oslo destroyed Scandinavia in practice. What little was left of their economy was sent to Berlin, and their cities of Malmo and Oslo ceded to the Berlin Despotate. Berlin was on the rise, now controlling much of the Baltic and North Seas.
The fall of Prague was a considerable victory, but two cities were wanted by the Berliners - Vienna and Munich, both strongly German in ethnicity, but refusing to admit Berlin's dominance.

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It took several centuries, but constant skirmishes between Berlin and Vienna caused the fall of Munich into Berliner hands. The other German states had all had times of troubles, crippling their economies as they tried to keep up with Berlin in power, but to no avail. The Despot of Berlin, Heinrich von Elbe, once a mere peasant, stated that the war would never reach a true, infinite end until Vienna had been captured. But in reality, Heinrich was focusing on a potential asset that Austria held - Venice. With it's naval capabilities, Venice would be an excellent base with which to further expansion in the south, across whole seas and oceans.

Relations were opened with Isabella of Castile in the year 2600 BC. Isabella was a strong woman, and with her husband Ferdinand of Aragon, they controlled the Iberian peninsula, albeit with an incredible rivalry and disadvantage towards the Carthaginian maritime empire. Isabella sold the Berliners a map at a great price, revealing huge chunks of land to the south, on a continent called 'Africa'.

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Finally, in the year 2500 BC, the Berliners managed to destroy the Vienna garrison once and for all. The best archers were in such larger numbers not even Vienna's formiddable defenses could keep them back for long. Many slaves were captured with the city, 2/3 of whom were actually German soldiers or their descendants captured during the onslaughts of the past hundreds of years.

---

Emperor Franz Ferdinand fled from his capital of Vienna with amazing speed on his horses, as did his best men and family. They were fleeing East, towards the city of Budapest, which would be the military capital, while the Emperor himself would camp out in Transylvania, which had a large population yet was relatively remote.
"Those barbarians...they are so backwards! How in the world did they capture 2 more cities from us?! Prague fell because we weren't expecting such an attack...but now Munich and VIENNA?!" the emperor was concerned. The massive 'protection racket' that Vienna and Austria had held on Central Europe was collapsing in the face of a few thousand troops from Berlin and it's allies. In fact, every spec of German ethnicity besides the emperor and his loyalists was now within Berliner hands.
"It seems a lack of formal training outside Vienna weakened us sir. Every German city is under some sort of full protection from Berlin, which is supplemented through a military base in every city. That also serves to keep the city loyal. Because of this...their soldiers have been vastly superior..." one of the Emperor's military advisors replied.
"Damn. Either way, we must reach Budapest by the end of the week. The Hungarians are expecting us, they're willing to work out some sort of deal to let us rule them directly. Apparently their current overlord is so corrupt and vicious that they'd rather let a foreigner take over."

The emperor was never to take his new throne. Not too far from the city, he and his caravan were ambushed by Budapest patriots. They opened fire with a hail of arrows, and within an hour most of the emperor's group was dead. Franz himself was assassinated by an arrow straight through the eye. The Austrian monarchy was gone, as most of his family was massacred as well or captured in Vienna. The empire would soon dissolve as Zagreb, Transylvania, Venice and Budapest heard the news.

Austrian Empire breaks down

Constant warfare was waged for the last few sections of the Austrian tributary empire. The many cities that had been under it's suzerainty fragmented, some asserting independance, others laying claim to the Crown of Vienna. Regardless, the Berlin - German coalition sought to annex these regions to provide 'security'. In reality, it was securing the route to Venice, the real prize in the war. Budapest was targeted because it was on the same side of the river as Vienna, thus not hindering movement. Once that was taken, it was planned to march on to Zagreb, then finally Venice. Transylvania, rural and not having much value, would be left alone.

---

The alarm bells all over Budapest rang at about 4 AM one cold morning in 2250 BC. Citizens rushed to the streets, eager to see what was occuring, being told to go see their new leader, "Emperor" Leopold III, who was Hungarian but had Germanised his name to add credibility to him being the successor of Franz Ferdinand.
"Citizens of Budapest, soldiers of Hungary, subjects of the Austrian Empire! Before us, only mere miles way, lie the armies of Berlin and it's usurper allies!"
The citizens suddenly talked amongst themselves, panic, worry and fear clearly mixed in with their comments.
"Be silent, my people! For you need not fear. We have adequate supplies, adequate weaponry, and good soldiers to protect us. You shall be armed yourselves. If we are to turn back the siege and eventually press on to reclaim the throne at Vienna, we must defeat these barbaric hordes, not just with our army, but with our spirit and our entire population! The outcome of this battle is a crushing victory...or utter ruin.." Leopold said. "Arm yourselves, and prepare for the fight for Austria! For our freedom and dignity!"

And armed the people were within the hour. The German Coalition's army neared the gates, merely a few hundred feet away, the light from the city in clear view.
The commander, Rene Robespierre - a French explorer turned defector turned soldier - told his men to stand ready, the charge was coming. He knew the land well from his work in the French foreign services, so he knew how to order his troops.
"Germans! His majesty Freidrich II has given us clear orders! We are to attack this city and do whatever possible to capture it! Once this is done, the mop up and conquest of Austria's former empire will be that much easier. His highness' predecessors siezed Vienna and it's throne, we must sieze what is rightfully our lords', and ours as well!"
The troops let out a cheer, so loud it was heard somewhat in Budapest. It was going to be a difficult battle, many believed. And they didn't know the half of it...
Only half an hour later, the German army assaulted Budapest, tearing down it's wooden fortifications with ease. But it was to be a slaughter that would last months. The siege of Budapest chewed up tons of men, both German and Hungarian. Constant re-inforcements had to be brought in from the homelands to swallow up the troops that seemed to rise from the dead of Hungary's ranks. It took a long time and many casualties - some of which were the best in the German Army - but Budapest fell eventually. A pity, it had sent out two raiding parties of archers, which were found at the outskirts of Berlin and dealt with. Either way, the greatest city of the former Austrian crown was now in Berliner hands. And now, it was time to devour the western sections of the empire...

But of course, failure has it's price. Robespierre was executed shortly after for his incompetence. The French used it as an excuse to criticise the Germans, but in reality, they themselves would have likely executed Robespierre for his defection.

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After a long, drawn out siege, Budapest fell in 2250 BC, splitting the former Austrian Empire in half.
In 2150, Zagreb fell. Only Venice remains before an accord can be reached with the former Austrian states...
Much like Budapest, Venice was besieged on and off for over a century. It was an incredibly well-defended city by Austrian terms, which explains why it had so strongly asserted it's independance. Not that we can blame them, they were next to Rome, which was probably desperate to absorb nearby areas.
In 1950 BC, the Berliners discovered how to make iron weapons. This was surely to turn the tide against the Austrian states. Shortly after, before we could even field our first swordsmen, our archers finally crushed Venice and burned it's fortifications to the ground. The city was captured, it's harbor prepared for our uses. The large navy inside it was destroyed, and the wines outside the city could now reach every inch of the German realms, and affluence gradually accumulated.
Much like Budapest, many slaves were found in the city and were set free because of their German lineage.

And now, we close this section with this:

THE FIRST REICH - THE GREAT DESPOTATE

Despot Wilhelm I was putting on his finest garb. It was time to announce the good news to the people, the war was over, Austria crushed, and the Berlin - German alliance supreme in Central Europe.
He strode out the doors, standing on the large balcony that overlooked the town.
Shouting at the top of his voice, the Despot began.
"MY PEOPLE! Today is a glorious day for all Germans, Berliner, Austrian, Dutch, Rigan, or otherwise! We have finally crushed the seperatist movement in Venice, and we have signed a peace treaty with what little is left of the Austrian royal family and nobility in Transylvania!"

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One of the Despot's aids held out the document, which the Despot took with glee. "Ahem! As per the terms of this treaty, the Despotate of Berlin has been granted knowledge of the Wheel and a writing system, in exchange for peace, most of our current treasury stores, and 420,000,000 marks per term."
The crowd instantly started to boo, realising it sounded like THEY had lost, not Austria or it's successor states.
"But wait, my loyal citizens! There is more!" The crowd went silent. "We are able to keep all of the lands captured during the war! We can use these lands as we wish, we can improve them and use them to downscale the increased spending as well! The slaves we have captured are ours to sell! The port of Venice is now ours to use for naval expansion in the great Mediterranean and beyond! We can now focus fully on improving our economy, our military, and making sure we can compete with our rivals on a technological scale!"
The people started to cheer, but once again the Despot's courtesans motioned for them to be silent.
"FURTHERMORE! From this day forward, the Despotate of Berlin is dissolved!"
The crowd was puzzled, whispers of confusion abound.
"But fear not! All other German states are dissolving as we speak, and within a month we shall convene a constitution for a new GRAND DESPOTY OF GERMANY! No longer shall we be divided as our enemies develop powerful states! From this day forward, we are the First and Foremost GERMAN REICH, with me as your first GREAT DESPOT! Your uber-fuhrer!"
The crowd cheered, and what was to happen to the new Grand Despoty? Only time would tell.

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And so this chapter ends with Germany straddling Europe like a giant, but it is hardly through it's time of troubles. The long, drawn out war with Austria caused it's economic and technological growth to stagnate, and now it faces obsoletion when compared to states like the as of yet unknown Chinese, Indians, Arabs and Greeks. Will Germany be able to overcome it's limits and become the economic, military, and political superpower? Or will it be rolled over by tanks as it continues to struggle in the middle ages?

The German Empire - 1950 - 1000 BC

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Uberfuhrer - or Great Despot - Wilhelm II was striding about in his recently constructed palace. Built on the outskirts of Berlin with taxes from the newly forged German Reich, from here he could efficiently conduct business but also have reaction time against a mob. The Despot sent for his advisors, each named after a department of the old Berlin despotate. However, each ministry had been reformed to have 'German' in it's name. The War Ministry became the Ministry of the German Army, the Ministry of Finance the Ministry of German Finance, and so on.
Within the hour, the heads of his ministries - the head of the War Ministry, the head of the Science Ministry, the head of the Financial Ministry, and the head of the Culture Ministry had all assembled along a ornate conference table.
"Now, the reason I gather you all here today...is one of grave importance." Wilhelm said as he turned around from the window he was looking out.
"Yes, my liege? Is there a revolt that needs putting down?" the War Minister said, he always did have an itchy arrow finger.
"You're partially there, advisor. Now let me explain." Wilhelm sat down in his chair, far larger and higher then the others.
"First of all. What is the report on the rebellion?"
Wilhelm was referring to the revolt that had begun shortly after his grandfather - Wilhelm I, founder of the Great Despotate - had died and was succeeded by a nephew. Several of the states tried to regain independance, some peacefully, some militantly. Rudolph II's despotism was short lived, his unpopularity with the military caused him to be deposed by Wilhelm II - who claimed to be the legitimate despot, as his father had been incarcerated and died in prison.
"As you know my liege, the primary sources of the rebels are west of the Rhine, in and around Danzig, and in many of the non-German provinces in the far south."
"Go on."
"The Dutch have agreed to surrender without a single drop of blood, if you will but only cut their taxes by a small margin, they say the current amount is hurting their economy and their people's motivation to work."
"I'll consider it, what about the others?"
"Combined armies from West and East Prussia are smashing Danzig's troops as we speak, and the rest of the army has been sent south to execute all who dare resist your rule, sir."
"Excellent. Now, on to the next matter. Financial advisor, what should we do to keep our economy strong?"
"We should train more engineers to build our infrastructure, as well as keep taxes low, as they are in most of the empire. The high tax on the more wealthy regions West of the Rhineland is just an example of what could happen if our taxes go any higher." the Finance Minister replied.
"Very good, I'll order some trainers to start mass conscription and specialisation of our workforce. Now, Minister of Science, what is our position in relation to other countries in technology?"
"Our war with Austria and it's vassals has helped pull us out of a hole, my liege, but at great financial and infrastructural cost. Our studies show we are behind a great deal towards our opponents, mainly in the art of creative thinking - or philosophy - and the ability to create detailed drawings of places we've been - map making. We could acquire these from several of our neighbors, and the South Slavs are also somewhat behind...we might make a good deal there."
"Excellent. Now, gentlemen, I believe you have charts of data for me?"
"Of course." They all answered in unison, giving small clay tablets to their overlord one by one. Looking through them, he saw the empire's stats, problems and potential solutions. For instance - the empire had many sources of iron, which could come in handy. One was north of France, one just north of Venice - albeit the road had been pillaged during the war - and there was one or two more. The Despot gave his commands to acquire these resources. It was time to move on to having swordsmen.

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As the advisors departed, he called the War Minister to stay and sit down in a private conversation.
"Now...these reports say that Carthage and Russia are stronger then us overall, Minister?" The despot said.
"That is correct sir..unfortunately." He grumbled.
"It says here our cultural superiority is threatened by Russia as well...but they are far too large to conquer..."
"Perhaps, perhaps not, m'lord. Reports from Riga say that large groups of Russian troops have been spotted heading south...informants say they may be at war or are planning to go to war with that mysterious race, the Greeks."
"Very well. Keep an eye on Russia for me. But what about Carthage?"
"We should invade France and Poland, they are small and underdeveloped. By doing so, we will secure the Iberian peninsula with soldiers and prevent the massive immigration that we can't stop from Carthage. We can't seem to convince them that peace is preferable to war over such a matter. By conquering France and Poland, our position in Western Europe and Central Europe will become even more secure, and with time we might be able to pick off the Roman or Carthaginian cities.."
"Good work advisor. You are dismissed."

As the Minister left the room, the Despot sat in deep thought. It would require iron to give himself a large edge over his opponents...hopefully enough to vanquish France and Poland...and perhaps more. His charts showed that Britain, across the channel, held London, which was one of the world's most beautiful cities. A storm was sure to be coming soon...

Franco - German Wars: 1900 BC - 1400 BC

By 1900 BC, hordes of Archers had arrived at the Franco-German border, just outside Geneva. The time had come to displace the French and gain supremacy on the European continent.
In 1850 BC, war broke out when Germany attacked the small town of Geneva, Switzerland. A strange mixture of German and French influences, it was dominantly German and thus considered a 'birthright' of the Despotate. Germany's success was rapid, and then a massive assault was to be carried out on Paris.
However, a desperate need for funds inspired a stroke of genius in the King's domestic advisors. Why fight wars to contain immigrants, if you could simply charge them to come through? Given Germany's large, central location and the large influx of immigrants from West to East, it was reasoned that we could charge for transportation rights. Spain was the first country to accept, granting us 110 units of gold. One after another, all countries that had money on them were given rights of passage in exchange for money. The flow of gold was greatly increased, and it was believed this would help Germany ease it's financial issues.
In 1800 BC, 4 bands of veteran archers and 1 band of elites targeted the French capital of Paris. If Paris could be won without too many casualties, France was finished. At the cost of only a few bowmen, much of the Paris garrison was reduced, eventually Archers had to serve as the key defenders while the spearmen - most reduced to half strength - drew new recruits. In 1750 BC the assaults resumed, after two ill-fated French attempts to drive the invaders out failed.

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At the cost of high casualties, Paris fell in 1750 BC. The city had a population ranking of 11, 5/11 of the population resisted. However, the damage it did was irreversible: Paris contained 80 percent of the French population. And without it, the rest of the country was doomed to wither. Paris also yielded 6 or 7 slaves worker units, an incredible amount! As with Austria, many of this units were our own people, and as such were set free.

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After this major victory, the French assault had two next steps. Within immediate range of Paris was the city of Brest, far in the northwest of France. The region was heavily depleted in terms of defenders thanks to constant raids from Pirates, who also used their on-board cannons to liberally saturate the small town and keep it's defenders down.
Upon a succesful invasion, it was planned that the army would move back to Paris, then down to Toulouse, which the French government had retreated to. This force would be supplemented by troops from Geneva, new recruits from Paris, and a consant outpour of troops from the homeland.
In 1700 BC, Brest falls. Minimal force is used to avoid casualties when the Pirates begin bombardment. This comes at the cost of one band of archers, but the second defeats the redlined warrior unit and crushes the city. Another huzzah for Germany!
Unfortunately, a river and heavy casualties blocked our triumphant advance on Toulouse for about a century or so. Either way, within 50 years we would construct a road that goes alongside the river, allowing us to tear Toulouse apart with more speed.

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By 1600 BC, we noticed large influxes of French refugees, accompanied by state troops. They were just outside Toulouse. It seemed like the French intended to settle elsewhere, which was impossible thanks to the fact Germany completely covered the route from East to West. They had an extremly advanced navy, composed of 'frigates' and 'galleons', but on routine training exercises these fleets were almost completely destroyed by Pirates in the open sea. Unable to turn anywhere, France's days as an emp- er, country - were numbered.

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We also cut a mostly lucrative deal with the South Slavs in 1600 BC. At the cost of 2 bands of French workers, 5 technologies, 870 units of our gold, and 21 gold per turn, we recieved the long desired Map Making technology. The gap of advancement was slowly closing, but we were not yet finished, as our studies showed that various other governments had great qualities of free thinking(philosophy) and a good understanding of mathematics that greatly outpaced ours.
The deal was solid, leaving us with a good deal of money in tax collection, but it had the side effect of greatly 'modernising' the Balkans. However, we remained far ahead in our mastery of Writing and how to use wheels. The Despot told his foreign advisors to call up the Balkan states once again, and negotiate a deal:

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Through this deal, we recouped most of our treasury, which we intended to use to buy teachers of mathematics from other civilizations. Russia and Transylvania alone had the math skills we desired. Knowing that a stronger Transylvania was FAR less dangerous then a stronger Russia, we went to them first. All of our annual income and current assets together were not enough to sate them. As a result, we merely just sold off the French slaves the diplomat brought.

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In 1550 BC, the German army launched an assault on Toulouse. France's best men had stupidly wandered off with settler bands, who seemed to have no set location outside the homeland. Once Toulouse fell, it'd merely be a matter of picking off these rogues. The German swordsmen led their first battle, losing only 1/4 of their numbers and downing a divison of regularly trained spearmen.
The assault was successful for the most part, with the French spearmen completely massacred, and only two bands of warriors continued to protect their country's existance.
However, all we had left were horsemen, who were not meant to attack well fortified cities, and a large pack of spearmen, who had minimal experience on the offensive. The destruction of France would have to await a few more decades.
Again, German troops attacked Toulouse in 1500 BC. This time, many more swordsmen had arrived, a sign of just how useful the Great Despot found them.

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A band of our elite archers led the charge and...THERE WERE NO DEFENDERS! The entire army of Toulouse had left, warriors and all. What few state workers were left surrendered immediately, and the town fell into German hands. This left a large force to mop up what little was left of the French army and it's free people...

---

Great Despot Wilhelm V strode through his ornate, recently refurnished halls, out towards the balcony where his great ancestor, Wilhelm I had proclaimed the Great Despotate he owed his title to.
It was not the victory in Toulouse, but the fact the Despotate of Berlin and it's successor - the Great Despotate of Germany - had survived 2500 years, the latter nearly 500. As he rehearsed his speech, he was interrupted by someone opening the door - WITHOUT KNOCKING.
"WHO DARES INTERRUPT ME WHILE I PRACTICE MY SPEECH?!" Wilhelm shouted.
"My apologies sir, but we have news from the front that requires your URGENT attention!" the military advisor and two of his messengers said as they opened the door, all of them bowing as low as their balance allowed. The Despot's face had a hint of worry, he had not said whether it was good or BAD news.
"Very well then, this had BETTER be good. Or I'll have you executed."
"We have recieved news that-" one of the messengers was cut off the by War Minister's hand over his mouth.
"My liege, oh greatest Despot of Ger-"
"Spare the formalities, Minister! I have a speech to be to within 10 minutes!"
"Yes, sir. We have learned that the armies of Germany have captured Toulouse...without firing a single arrow or stabbing a single individual."
"Haha! At last! This will be a great triumph to announce! Their armies just...surrendered?"
"Um...no, sir...actually..." the minister stuttered. "The few soldiers stationed there...just left the city undefended. They have all gathered up their belongings and have marched eastwards and southwards. The city is nearly deserted."
"Ah...very well. But it couldn't hurt to clout this with propoganda. But, still..." the Despot said as he strided towards the men, preparing to leave.
They all gulped, realising he was going to have them hung or beheaded, or stoned or...well, you get the picture.
"You're all fired for your breach of privacy. Have a nice day, and be sure to leave within the hour, unless the guards execute you for 'invading' the palace." The Despot said as he walked off to deliver his speech of the Despotate's longevity...AND the victory at Toulouse and over the French people.

Germany proceeded to massacre the spearmen and settlers fleeing into Italy, catching two groups with minimal defense just outside the city. These soldiers surely protected the settler's flanks, and as such would be disposed of.
While those troops were terminated, they accidentally blocked the route between Spain and Eastern Europe. This would at least stop the influx of emigrants! Next, what remained of the attack force moved Eastwards to Venice, not only to protect it, but we could not afford to sign a right of passage with Rome, who was next on our list of targets, right next to Poland. The route north, east then south again was quicker then a trek through Roman lands oddly enough.


The Battle of the Venetian Alps - 1450 BC

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Aptly named, this historical battle was one of France's survival, waged just outside Venice near the iron mines. While the French pillaged the region and slaughtered the locals, the roads and mines were left intact.
The French braced themselves, settlers hiding behind a wall of spearmen. Horde after horde of German archers and swordsmen assaulted them, one after one being slaughtered. Few spearmen were lost initially, and many locals - of Italian ancestry - chose to join the rebellious French in an uprising, swelling their ranks with more troops. The Germans continued their relentless assault, and much of the elite, hard-trained spearmen found themselves falling in the face of German swords.
Nonetheless, the small group held, but it's spearmen were almost completely destroyed, archers and warriors taking up the battle positions next. They massacred some of the Germans they had captured, and the Great Despot immediately declared genocide against all the Franco-Italian forces they could find.
Much of the encampment overslept, apparently, as half the pioneers were caught after the army headed out, still in their encampment, which itself was hidden inside the iron mines of the Alps. They were enslaved and led by military troops back to Berlin's market, where they would be bought by foreign diplomats.
At the cost of two spearmen garrisons, the last band was finally captured in the Alps and the French...were not vanquished. Apparently they had settlers elsewhere, far away from the prying eye of the German Army. The Despot was notified, he said it was time to make peace with the French...they could be conquered at another date.

---

The Treaty of Paris was exceptionally good in terms! In exchange for a right of passage and only 5 units of gold, the French yielded their world map, their knowledge of philosophy and their knowledge of mathematics! Germany truely had conquered, as this treaty had practically no unfavorable terms!

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In exchange for handing over our knowledge of maps, the Russians gave us techniques on how to write and enforce a common law system, which had been tested in their vast realm, and could likely apply to us as well. We had to pay a small annual tribute and most of our treasury as well, but it was worth it, Germany's gap in technology now completely erased!
Such an agreement had the side effects of making the Russian people and their rulers look more favorably upon us. It seemed a Russo-German alliance MIGHT be in the making...but little did Russia know at the first oppurtunity Germany would gladly backstab and absorb the Russian Empire.

---

Franco - Russian War

...Huh. For some odd reason in the period between 1400 - 1350 BC, the French declared war on the Russians. Modern studies show that this was due to the French settling in their territory to try to make a base for themselves. Ah well, Germany at least cheered on the destruction of the French Empire - they DID force us to pay them for peace...the city of Orleans was to be captured mere centuries later, but France continued on the run.

---

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Proclamation of the Great German EMPIRE!

In 1350 BC, the Great Despot proclaimed that the German Despotate was no longer that German. Germany now had territories that encompassed ethnicities such as Franks, Hungarians, Italians, Croatian Slavs, and even some small Polish and Romanian minorities. There were even people from Scandinavia - but the Scandinavians had always been considered a race very close to Germans in relation. Either way, the Despot proclaimed the German Empire, or Deutsches Reich, in a grand speech, reminiscent of Wilhelm I's. He said that Germany was now undisputed ruler of both Western and Central Europe, and that further glory awaited the empire...technologically, politically, and militarily. Economically as well.

---

And so, the German Empire's next course of action was heavily debated. Would organized skirmishes occur with other countries, as had happened for nearly 3,000 years? Or would Germany FINALLY become a peacemaker and use soft power to control the events of Europe?

Peace was out of the question when the German Foreign Minister's agents conducted investigations of Rome and Poland's lands. Both had disproportionate amounts of troops in their cities. Apparently they knew they were on the list to be assimilated. The Despot noticed that most of these troops were merely warriors. A steady stream of German swordsmen would finish Rome off, and then the Mediterranean and it's riches would await.

---

1300 BC saw a new invention: the catapult. The Despot watched with awe as the large, clumsy device flung massive boulders at walls and dummies, breaking them with it's sheer mass and velocity. He couldn't help but clap at the demonstration.
"Very impressive! I demand at least 10 of these devices! They will work excellently when we finally invade Italia and take it's land as our own!"
He had the resources, he had the military, all the Despot needed was the initiative...and Rome's people would soon fly the Blue Flag.

We soon met the esteemed Greeks in 1250 BC. They had much to be proud of. Their treasury numbered 24,000+ units of gold! They had beaten us to Polytheism, and they also had a larger army. Indeed, the Greeks really were a powerful group to mess with! Which is one reason why we gave our support to Russia in the war between the two great Eastern powers.

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Rome was saved from German swords when oppurtunity caught Berlin's eye. Poland had moved it's massive army eastwards, and it was believed it would attack Russia. This offered the oppurtunity to take the large city of Krakow and it's massive observatory facility. Not wasting the oppurtunity, the despot ordered a full retreat from near Milan and towards Krakow. War would come with the Poles instead, they had far more to offer in this rare moment of oppurtunity.

---

German - Polish War of 1100 BC -

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Germany invaded Poland in 1100 BC. The massive army, all in all, consisted of 5200 swordsmen, 1400 spearmen, and 3,000 archers, constantly re-inforced and armed with several catapults. When the invasion started, troops assembled for the offensive numbered around 10,000. This would be put to the test against Krakow's 3200 men, which grew by 80 men each decade, and was backed by the rest of the Polish army, which numbered 17,200 men. Germany had to crush Krakow now, or else all hope of conquering Poland would be lost to time.
The war was a defeat for Poland almost immediately. All 4 of the workers who were working on the land south of Krakow were captured - thanks to our weak but fast horsemen -, half of which were slaves that descended from slaves Germany itself had sold them centuries ago. Now, they were to enter the market once more, and be shipped to other parts of Europe.
Of course, the warmongers who ran the military advisory and the Despot were a bit triggerhappy here. Because of this, the Polish army TURNED AROUND, making it that much harder to march on Minsk.
Next, the main route from Budapest to Krakow was occupied by our massive army. The siege of Krakow was to ensue in 1050 BC, and the German people knew victory hinged on Krakow's fall. The Polish army was large, and the bulk of it had been sent towards Danzig, which would isolate Riga and allow the Poles to build a huge empire in the east. Germany had to make sure to gain the upper hand - and within 100 years. Several hundred men in Krakow were downed by artillery, but that did not make too much of a difference. The time had come for the Germans to strike - and win the war in this battle. Krakow fell in 2 years, yielding us 6 gold, 66 percent of Poland's population, and most of all, the Copernican Observatory! Science was to be greatly cherished in our empire now, and our tax reserves were to swell immensely.

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The Polish were also very defiant. 10 out of 13 Krakow citizens resisted us. Either way, our army's total offensive force dropped to 7200 men. A large loss...but the gain of Krakow was worth the slaughter. And our homeland continued to field extra troops at a large rate...something the Polish government at the Minsk city-state could not hope to accomplish. Poland lost 2800 men total in the battle of Krakow, and many more were enslaved and shipped back to Berlin. 1800 to 2800...Germany had a slight edge.

The Battle of Poland - 1000 BC

The Battle is aptly named. It took place all across the Polish homeland, especially near the medium-sized village of Warsaw. This was due to the fact the Poles changed their strategy, choosing to attack Krakow rather then Danzig, causing some - but not total - disarray for German planners.
Polish and German forces met eachother with equal determination, Germany's re-inforcements and better weaponry helping to make up the difference. German catapults let loose their rage on the Polish army, but the battle was still uphill.
Entering the battle, there were 6000 fully up to health troops on Germany's side, backed by recovering troops, re-inforcements and catapults, while on Poland's side there were 5900 spearmen, 5200 archers, and 3500 warriors, with very minimal backup from Minsk.
Complete devestation was wreaked upon the 400 spearmen outside Krakow, who were brought to half number by German artillery. Archers, not up to full strength, were sent to dispose of the spearmen so the fully trained swordsmen could advance and smash the Poles. After the first phase of the battle, Germany had inflicted heavy damage on troops northeast of Poland's central river, and had annihilated every single Polish troop west of the river. Spearmen garrisoned the whole length of the river, so we could turn the advantage the Poles had on the defense against them.

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...On an entirely different matter, Hades froze over here. What next, Jesus's second coming? I wouldn't be surprised, even if he won't be born for another thousand years! Never would've figured Greece and Russia would be smart enough to stop murdering eachother after 2500 years of warfare!

And this is where our current chapter ends! Up next, the German Empire shall desecrate the Polish nation!

The German Empire - 1000 - 850 BC

---

The Great Despot Otto III had inherited a vast mess from the previous Despots when he took power in 999 BC. His country was prosperous in just about every aspect, but the 'Polish question' remained. What was he to do against the armies of Poland? Despite it's small size, Poland had a massive army, twice the size of Germany's. Germany, on the other hand, had an empire more then 20 times the size of Poland's last bastion - the city-state of Minsk, which itself headed the 'Duchy of Belarus' - the loose confederation of the region around it.

Otto had artillery which could even the playing field, but they had to be used carefully - they could be captured or destroyed if mismanaged. He had German swordsmen, who were vastly superior to the Polish archers in power. He also had a large empire with considerable resources of population, technology and finances to draw upon.

Otto thus chose to drive the war onwards. His first objective was to drive back a small-scale invasion of Danzig. The Poles had sent 1200 men, all warriors, to try to take the city - which was well-defended thanks to how the Poles had previously fooled Germany into thinking they would attack there.

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While the warriors were no threat on their own, they had forces coming from behind, they could pillage the region's resources, and they would not allow citizens to work there. Thus, it was economically and strategically important they be rebuffed from the region.

Defeating half the warriors, he turned his attention to the wounded division of archers and spearmen not too far south. He decimated the spearmen, then proceeded to attack the archers. The goal was to eliminate these units before they could retreat to Minsk. Once the Polish army was eliminated, the army could avance on the city and take the last bastion of Polish identity.

Time consuming as it was, Otto also moved artillery across the river to Krakow, where they would soon be used to deadly effect against more attackers. Otto died before he could see his plans realised, and his last years were distracted with the breakout of the Krakow riots of 981 BC. His successor carried out the plans, but with limited success - most of the Polish army had retreated back into Belarus, essentially surrendering Poland it's central river - a HUGE strategic obstacle - to German hands. The German tiger would pounce, and NOT allow a Polish counterstrike.

By 980 BC, the Poles had lost most of their offensive zeal. Scouts said that from what they saw, Poland only had one band on archers, 400 men, left. Germany was on the upswing, it just needed to get it's swordsmen back in order. The terms of the treaty with Transylvania finally expired not too long before the German offensive began, causing our treasury's annual gain to nearly double. Germany REALLY had power now.

Tensions came once again in 970 BC. Poland's armies rear their ugly head in their homeland for another offensive, a total of 5700 men. It was quickly found that Poland would keep switching it's targets, making Germany's military plans obsolete. So the despot's advisors proposed another idea - a direct route via Russia. The Russian capital of Kiev's borders extended RIGHT to Minsk's doorstep. If we could build a road, then we would be able to besiege the Polish capital immediately. Within months artillery and Krakow's garrison reduced this force to 2900 men, lacking spearmen and having only 1200 archers, with small bands of German slaves.

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German retaliated by sending in a force of 5400 men to invade the Duchy of Belarus. While mostly composed of spearmen, this force was moreso designed to harass Minsk, much like they harassed our people at Riga with mere spearmen.

The Great Despotates' near universal security declined in 960 BC. A massive barbarian uprising began near Oslo, backed by Viking nationalists. The city was too poorly defended to protect, so the Despotate did not bother propping up the defenses too much.

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The invasion of Minsk took place in 960 BC as well. While the city itself was not attacked, various units outside it were destroyed, villages were burned, roads destroyed, livestock slaughtered. Minsk would be brought to it's knees, that was the German strategy at work. Fires roamed the countryside, the result of both German destruction and civil revolt against the ineffiency of the Minsk government. Poland was unstable, and the Belorussians longed to overthrow the inefficient oppressors.

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In an act of desperation, the Polish government attempted to negotiate peace in 925 BC. The German Despotate rejected it, and in 930 BC, the road south of Belarus was completed, running right between Minsk and Kiev. The German Army assembled South and west of the last city of the Polish realm. 10,300 German troops assembled in one place, unleashing their fury on Minsk. Artillery weakened the veteran soldiers, causing the younger, less experienced troops to take the frontline. Against the tough-trained German swordsmen and archers, could they honestly hope to defeat us? They faced the toughest men in the German Army in one place.

The regulars were all slaughtered, and even the battle-hardened German Army could not help but feel some sympathy for the young men who died, crying for their mothers, their wives, their children.

A great leader, Barbarossa, emerged from the battle against Minsk! Germany's armies were about to get the edge they needed so badly against other countries. ...And, we gained a second one shortly thereafter! The battle of Minsk was truely the peak of the German Empire's influence and prosperity!

Eventually, only a hundred spearmen were left to defend the city. They were quickly terminated, and:

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Afterwards, our scouts reported EXCELLENT news, no significant Polish migrations had occurred, so thus:

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Germany had eliminated the closest country to it's homeland, and now we were divided on where to campaign next:

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We could take the Balkan states to the Southeast, to consolidate our Eastern position and 'liberate' the all the Slavic peoples but the Russians under a single, German leadership. We could also finally finish off the last remnants of the Austrian royal family.

Next we could invade the Roman country of Italia, which threatened the security of 3 of our southern cities with their city of Milan:

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Our third, final option was to send our forces far back west, and invade the Iberian peninsula, a large target of 7 cities, 4 of which were Carthaginian and 3 Spanish. This would secure our province of France and close off one of the loose ends of our borders, and also give us control of Spanish iron - we did NOT want that falling into Carthaginian or Roman hands.

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After re-assessing our options, we realised that we had not signed a right of passage with the Romans since the war with France! We had never signed one at all during our history together. The same was true of the Transylvanians, we observed their behavior, and discovered they only had 600 spearmen defending their capital...increasing by 2 men a year. Our armies were re-organised, and we decided to crush them once and for all.

Then our leader recounted we HAD agreed to extend our non-aggression pact...so further west to Roma it was then. The Italian peninsula would soon be the German launchpad into the Mediterranean.

A deal with the Greeks in 930 BC also revealed the entire Old World to the German Empire.

Diplomats conducted research into what the Roman army possessed, and found results:

Milan - 12,500 men, with 400 naval units and 2,000 spearmen. The rest of the force was composed of Archers and Warriors.

Rome - 7,200 men, with 1,600 naval units. As with Milan, primarily spearmen and archers.

Naples - 11,200 men, 400 naval units.

Germany also conducted espionage against Greece, siezing knowledge of currency! Germany was on it's way to defeating the Greek hegemony over technology! All the while, we neared the Italian peninsula with our army of Swordsmen, which totaled 4,000 men by itself. Supporting it were thousands of spearmen and several of our groups of catapults. Swordsmen and more reinforcements were pouring in from Poland, and additional reinforcements would come from the German Empire while were on the offensive.

One of the main reasons for continued hostility towards Rome was what the small country had to offer - resources. In the direct vicinity of the Roman capital were small amounts of dyes and incense - resources that had far more benefit to large Germany then small Italy. These luxuries were further reason to devour the small country. And so Germany prepared.

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---

Roman Despot Tiberius III was in a lotus position in his private bedroom, doing his early morning meditation ceremony, which he had learned from the Greeks, and in turn from they had from the Indians, and so on.

The whole room was immersed in large amounts of incense smoke, reflecting the wealth disparity the affluent Roman despots caused. While the population below toiled farming wheat, slaughtering sheep and cattle, and refining milk, the Roman Despot lived in absolute luxury, surrounded by the finest clothing and goods - in abundance. And that is why Romans hated their overlord so much.

Tiberius waas interrupted by a knock at the door, a loud one. He ignored it, but they knocked again. "Who is it and why do you disturb me?" The Despot shouted back.

"My liege! Quick! You must report to the War Room immediately!"

"...Fine. Give me 5 minutes." the Roman Despot said as he quickly changed his clothes and moved on his way out to the war room, hidden deep within the Palace.

"Alright men, why have you called me here today?" he said as he walked in calmly. He was quickly answered by a shaky man at the table.

"Sir! It's terrible! The..the Germans have invaded the city of Milan!"

The Despot was shocked. "What?! Are you serious?!"

"I was sent by the governor of the whole region to inform you and the army. The Milanese garrison is 2/5 of the Roman Army, but I doubt we can hold them off! They've sent massive numbers of troops and their infamous catapults!"

"Alright then...how many do you suppose there are?"

"7200 men, all swordsmen, backed up by a few thousand spearmen. All in all, they will just about equal the Milanese garrison in power."

"Alright then...return to Milan, inform the governor the bulk of the Roman Army will be heading their way to aid them." the Despot motioned with his hands.

The messenger shook his head. "My liege, you do not understand! I was not the only messenger...we came in a pack. German horsemen ambushed us, and they have washed over the paths east to west, cutting Milan off from Roma! Re-inforcements will be difficult to send..."

The Despot grunted. "Regardless, we'll go north. We'll show those German savages what war with Rome means..."

---

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Small skirmishes began in 890 BC. The German armies attacked Milan from the north, burning villages for supplies, and losing only 200 men while destroying 800 of Milan's spearmen.

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German Armies raged across all of northern Italy, blocking escape and reinforcement routes. While the German army's forces south of the Po were driven back, German forces decimated Milan, with only the last few warriors inside holding back the assault, by a small margin. Horsemen completely ravaged the route between north and south, and riots raged in the Roman capital during the war, crippling their retaliatory capabilities.

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Milan finally fell in 870 BC! The German Empire siezed control of the Da Vinci school, founded by a great Roman artist. Many great artists, architects, and military planners were to come from this location in the future and serve the growing German realm.

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Finally! 850 BC yields the technology of Monarchy to us, and now we can finally transition to a more efficient, more free state!

--

850 BC brought the greatest political upheaval in Germany since the unification of the German peoples under the Great Despotate. Great riots began in Vienna and Milan simultaneously, and civil discontent grew to unreal proportions. With the army away on campaign, the Despot had little force to call upon, and the empire looked like it might fragment.

But there was hope for the crumbling regime. A great general, Adolf Richtoffen - a descendant of Klemens Richtoffen, one of the great leaders of the war against Poland - took command of the garrisons in Riga, then Krakow, then Danzig and Minsk. Using the popular Polish sentiment that they were persecuted as a weapon, Richtofften gradually invaded and annexed the regions of Hungary and Austria. More and more of the empire fell under his sway, with his promise to treat all ethnicities and all religions as equals.

Further strengthening his cause was how he spoke of rewarding those who supported him with large grants of land and priveleges, and in retaliation the Despot promised the same. Richtoffen also promised that every soldier and their family would be guaranteed a stable income and property. With this brilliant keystroke, many of the armies rose up, killing their superiors and joining Richtoffen. One by one, all the non-German peoples joined Richtoffen, and eventually Germany itself was invaded, though Richtoffen always would beg his people to surrender so he would not appear a traitor by attacking them.

With enough surrenders and victories, Richtoffen assaulted Berlin in a simple yet decisive battle - most of German Home Guard on his side - and conquered the city. The last Great Despot committed suicide rather then be captured by a 'commoner' - everyone besides the Despot's family was a commoner, even the highest generals and advisors.

---

Klemens and his followers soon drafted a new Constitution in the capital, stating that he and his family would rule in succession, in a system called 'monarchy'. He claimed that he would rule through the 'source of all', a decisive move - he was implying that regardless of which god was true, he had been appointed by them. A truely brilliant move in a state with so many religions and ideas.

He established the clause that freedom of religion was to be practiced throughout the empire, so long as it did not take on clearly rebellious or violent undertones. He also opened full citizenship for the first time to all people in the empire's borders - previously only a fraction of the rights a German had could be available to a Frenchmen, Hungarian, etc.

His last major reform was socially impacting. He established the nobility class, supporters of the old regime were stripped of their land, and this was given to the new nobility, who also gained priveleges - such as the ability to form an advisory council towards the king, and hold titles. He also instituted some small-scale elections at the local level for mayors and chieftains, but appointed governors himself to manage the vast provinces. Class was divided into farmers, laborers, soldiers, nobles, the royal family and the Monarch in that order.

Germany's transition to a monarchy was complete. It would soon use this system to bring 'reforms' to the rest of the world...

---

But of course, Richtoffen would have his hands full. Many military superiors had died during the revolution, and he had to move fast to replace them so as to continue the offensive against Rome.

Having had relatives vanish into the death camps circa 1943, the best I can say about this post is that it is sickening. Anyone who glorifies Germany is in serious need of help.

Having had relatives vanish into the death camps circa 1943, the best I can say about this post is that it is sickening. Anyone who glorifies Germany is in serious need of help.

Timerover, I am NOT glorifying NAZI Germany. That is the reason this was post was titled 'The First and HOPEFULLY ONLY Reich' because I'd rather not have a Third -Nazi- reich. Besides, the First Reich refers to the period of the Holy Roman Empire, which was what my first few posts were about, conquering what composed it.

This was one of my greatest fears with the title, people hear Reich and automatically think it implies Nazism. Reich means 'empire', Nazis merely corrupted the term, as they did with Fuhrer, Heil, etc.

The Nazis were sick people, and I'm sorry for your loss, but just because I use the terms fuhrer and Reich DOES NOT mean I am glorifying them in any way. I am merely glorifying Germany, because, well, when a country obtains power and influence that's what it does? (Rome, China, Britain, USA, etc.) And any racist remarks made by the characters and historian DO NOT reflect my own views.

Just making that clear. :3

The German Empire - 850 - 750 BCE

King Adolphus I sat on his solid gold throne, in deep thought. While he had triumphed over the last Despot and his allies, he still had a large mess to sort out. He had to press the attack against Rome, as well as drive out Roman raiders who had slipped past the Alps, ravaging the roads to and from Italy, hoping to cut off German reinforcements.

He also would have to tackle international recognition and criticisms once he finally did win the war, and he also had to strip Greece of it's advantage in technology. He would also have to get Germany in on the colonial 'game', his maps showed great migrations of both Greeks, Arabs and Egyptians into the Sahara and south of it, slowly gobbling up the African economy. He just hoped that a miracle would occur...

And one did occur. In his sleep, a beautiful being, complete with white wings, perfect in just about every aspect, visited him in his dreams. Before the King could inquire who it was, they had told him that he must be strong and live up to his promises to both his allies and his subjects. He should emancipate his peasantry and make them have more control over their lives, yet remain fiercely loyal and obedient to him. He should abolish forced labor on the part of free citizens, and strive to conquer the world and liberate all it's people, slaves or free men.

Before the angel left, it also told him at the first oppurtunity he should send large expeditions West, where he would find free land in abundance. The angel also told him to send a large navy southeast against Egypt, conquering it would enable the German Empire to have an edge in the colonial game - the Suez Canal. While there is no scientific reasoning or fact behind these occurences, which may just be a rumor, they were accurate, and in both directions what the Angel told him would turn out to be true.

And that motivated Adolphus. He rallied his people against the Roman Despotate, disseminating propoganda that they would come to liberate all the people of Italy. This inspired rebels in the city of Rome even further, they were tired of being oppressed, and rumors of how free the Germans and their subjects were - how egalitarian they were - inspired mass migration north to Milan and Venice. Only having the army to back up it's power, the Roman state was doomed to collapse.

Just before his death, Adolphus' armies vanquished much of the Roman garrisons, further weakening the government's stability. A Greek architect defected near the end of his rule, telling us the secrets of "Construction", enabling us to build monuments that rivalled Greece's. Combined with currency, this technological innovation moved us into the...

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German Middle Ages!

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With Greece's stability threatened, Despot Alexander III invited us to his palace. We negotiated to send teachers of the monarchy system in exchange for his knowledge of engineering, monotheism, and we gave him some (relatively) small lumps of gold, plus annual payments. Greece's dominance was officially over.

--- the Age of Privateers, circa 820 BC ---

Adolphus II ascended to the German throne within 24 hours of his father's passing. He had inherited his father's problems, albeit very scaled down. The German King was young, very optimistic. When he saw the trades and their implications, he also learned of his father's dream by looking through his journal. Hearing about this, he chose to pursue what the angel had told his father. Forced labor had been abolished, paid labor taking it's place.

Adolphus was quick to wonder how to go about the goals. German galleys were no better then other ships in the sea, and would sink when too far west. The only people who had mastered the art of shipmaking were Germany's bitter enemies - Pirates. Adolphus managed to get a messenger through to several of these captains, who eagerly arrived, and were pardoned and paid lifetime salaries in exchange for forking over pirate customs, locations, and shipbuilding arts.

Adolphus then prepared to unveil his greatest creation - the Pirate Ship, which would sail the seas for Germany, yet also destroy it's enemies without provoking war. Germany was about to get the break it desired.

Adolphus II's rule was also followed by increasing monotheistic tendencies - imported from the small, forsaken despotate of Israel - but since they were not rebellious he did not care for it that much. The art of engineering allowed large bridges to be constructed, and the obstacle that rivers once were ceased to exist.

Just before his rule ended, Adolphus was able to witness the training of the first German Pikemen and the first German fleet of pirate ships. He ordered more to be built throughout the empire, despite the dwindling finances.

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And in 810 BC, as if to celebrate the new Monarch's reign, Rome, the largest capital in Europe besides Berlin and Athens, falls. Within it's walls are great temples, studios and theaters, markets and monuments. The Roman Despots fled to Naples long before our conquest, due to the large riots in the city. The German incursion is half-welcomed, 7 out of every 16 citizens in the city revolt both against us and their Despotic government, seeking to instate a 'Republic' - a system of government that was theorised by some Greek city-states, so Democracy could be applied to the much larger populations of unified Greece.

Rome was remarkably ethnically diverse by common standards of the time, with a large Austrian and Scandinavian minority. This made the city's conquest even easier - fewer Romans meant fewer resistors. Germany proceeded onwards, to Naples in the south.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany810BCNaples.png

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany800BCRomeDestroyed.png

The year 800 BC yielded Naples to the German Empire; the Roman Despot and corrupt supporters were executed, inspiring cheers from all the Roman people. Rome ceased to exist as an independent polity, now part of the greater German Empire, which stretched from France to Poland, and from Italy to Scandinavia.

Spanish frigates had vanquished the Pirates outside Brest once and for all, so piracy quickly declined within our borders. Germany's economy was ready to make the big leap...across the Atlantic ocean!

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany790BCTransylvania.png

Germany refuses to re-negotiate peace with Transylvania in 790 BC. War breaks out once again, with Germany intending to eliminate the Austrian family once and for all! The Transylvanians fielded an impressive army - 6800 men. Not bad for a small duchy like theirs. The German assault force was composed of 5800 men. The large number of swordsmen were hoped to even the odds.

The first battle cost only 100 German lives, the Transylvanians losing 800. The Austrians would soon lose their crown, in turn.

--

King Otto I(the numbering system of the Despots had been discarded, due to how they were viewed as very oppressive and backwards, Germany had entered a 'new' monarchic age) walked out onto the balcony of his Palace, to greet the millions Berliners below. Many other Germans were also in attendance if they had the oppurtunity to get there.

"My subjects, my people, citizens of the German Empire! Today is a glorious day for all Germany, as the war for freedom begins now! As we speak, our battle-hardened armies from the Roman campaign move east against Transylvania, the last bastion of the ancient Hapsburg monarchy! Once we topple them and finally bring every German into our sphere, we will conquer region after region, breaking the chains of Despotism! First Transylvania, then the Balkans, then Iberia, then Scandinavia! And then we shall proceed to liberalise the Russian, Greek and British systems! Already exploration is beginning of the vast ocean to the west, and we are preparing to contact the peoples of the Middle East! Join me in our struggle for liberation, my people! Alllll human beings shall soon fly the blue flag of Berlin, and the freedom that it brings!"

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany800BCGermanEmpire.png

The crowd erupted in cheers. For the first time in millenia, Frenchmen, Germans, Italians, Hungarians, Poles, Scandinavians, and even some defects from Greece, Russia and Carthage were united in their goals. The struggle to 'liberate'...the whole world.

---

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany780BCTransylvaniaConquered.png

Inspired with zeal, Transylvania was completely conquered a year later, in 780 BC. The Hapsburgs had been uprooted, and their empire destroyed. While the Austrians continued to rule small settler bands abroad, they were vanquished, and so we turned towards the Balkans.

The Balkan States were made up of Serbians and Bosnians primarily, hence why the inhabitants of the Balkans were called the 'Slavs.' There were many other tribes, but Serbia and Bosnia dominated the region. The confederation of the Balkans was formed millenia ago in response to the expansion of Austria when it annexed Croatia in the far northwest of the Balkans.

Now the union's very existence was threatened, with riots raging in all it's major cities, and the settlers who had gone as far northeast as the Urals rebelling and forming their own small city-states. The total combined forces of the Balkan homeland numbered 12,800 men, primarily focused on keeping order and securing their local polity's dominance over the others. The time was right for Germany to invade and restore the region's stability...

---

Riots temporarily ended in 750 BC, but Germany refused to call off it's attack to liberate the populace from it's Despotic rule and civil strife. Germany would not let the leaders of each state rally to smash German armies, then revert back to killing eachother.

Bucharest fell in 750 BC as well, just as it appeared Germany might run out of men to besiege the city. The collapse of the Balkans was in full swing. The next two targets were the walled fortress of Sarajevo, and the capital of Belgrade.

Sarajevo fell the same year, but it's fortifications costed the lives of the majority of swordsmen attacking it. Regardless, the way to Belgrade was fully paved, and the German Army would besiege it that year.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany750BCBelgradeAttack.png

---

And so ends this chapter of German History. In the next one, the German Army shall vanquish the Balkans and begin to expand it's control of the New World.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany740BCMeetIroquois.png

As the war in the Balkans raged, and German victory slowly but surely came to be the common image, events happened the world over. Imported maps from Greece showed constant changes of borders between 'Turkistan' and 'India'. But most importantly, across the vast Atlantic, there was a large, albeit primitive, tribe, the Iroquois, who Germany met in 740 BC.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany740BCIroquoisEmpire.png

500 or so units of gold later, the German pirates / soldiers above the ship had a map of most of what is now called Canada, as well as much of North America. They would share this map with the next band of explorers to come, and then settlement could take place. While it's competitors in Europe took worthless land in Africa and Siberia, Germany was taking rich lands in the New World.

Germany also launched it's first fleet of pirates into the Mediterranean during this decade, and it's goal was simple but very effective - pillage the Altar Cross in northern Greece, which would disable Greek ability to build pirates themselves.

The Mediterranean Fleet was destroyed by Pirates - believed to be in the Greek's employ. It looked as if the Mediterranean would have to wait a long time before Germans could control it. But that's what a war with Carthage would be for.

---

In 730 BC, riots flared up in Belgrade once again. Government inefficiency, civil strife, and famine combined with everyday citizens' frustrations to create the great riots in the city. Just in time, the German Army had arrived at the gates. Artillery fire pounded the force of 2,000 spearmen, 500 of them being slaughtered by the fire. The city was doomed.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany730BCBelgradeFalls.png

Strikes by the German force's two organized Armies vanquished the garrison, and the city fell with ease. Anybody who bore arms and refused to surrender - state troops or rebels - was immediately slaughtered.

The Balkans were now under German control, with the exception of Greek Bulgaria.

---

The Elected Despot of the Balkans was found cowering under his desk in his office, not having expected German forces to arrive soon. He was captured, and believed his life might be spared. He was soon told that the King of Germany would be visiting him.

The King arrived that evening, striding into HIS new palace. He didn't even give a greeting before one of his aides shoved a list in the Despot of Belgrade's face. On it were a list of terms - and the Despot refused immediately. Surprised by this, the King of Germany executed him personally, then his guards threw the beheaded corpse onto the streets below. He cried a phrase in German, then told the people that he dared to resist German power then give in.

This inflamed the people more, the leader they had hated so much had given his life rather then surrender his 'people'. The resistance and ex-soldiers united, determined to kick the Germans out. Of course, history shows us that this movement was too little, too late.

---

With the Balkans under German hegemony, eastwards expansion was complete. The only way to continue would be to go against the Greek or Russian juggernauts. Instead, it was reasoned the time had come to displace the third greatest power in Europe since antiquity - Carthage.

Greece threatened the German realm in 730 BC, demanding a map of German territory and 28 units of gold. We retaliate with a rather suggestive motion of our fingers. Thankfully, Greece does not retaliate. Though we would make a note to fortify the Balkans...

---

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany720BCBalkansTreaty.png

In 720 BC, the successor to the Despotate of the Balkans - now rechristened the Despotate of the South Slavs - meets with us in Moscow. They are willing to grant all of our demands, turn over their territory, and restrict their operations to Entremont on the West side of the Ural Mountains. Germany and the South Slavs sign the pact, and Germany's Eastern borders are secure.

Espionage in the Iberian peninsula revealed the statistics of Carthage's provinces there to us:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany720BCCarthaginianEmpire.png

Barcelona - 3,000 Numidian Mercenaries, 600 warriors, and 800 seamen. Small populace of 60,000.

Saguntum - 3700 Numidian Mercenaries, backed by 211,000 people.

Cordova - 4900 Numidian Mercenaries, backed by a catapult. City contains 224,000 people.

Seville - 1800 warriors, 700 Numidians, and 300 archers. 30,000 citizens.

Needless to say, the cities looked rather lightly defended, and all the cities were focusing on building navies, except landlocked Cordova.

We also observed Sicily, just to measure it's resources for our eastern campaign:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany720BCSicilyScan.png

Sicily is composed of 700 Numidians and 400 seamen! With these numbers, we assess our priorities - Sicily shall come first.

---

710 BC yields contact with the great Empire of Songhai in northwest Africa, and our first settlers disembark into the New World, but not much happens otherwise.

In 700 BC, General Hannibal Barca was surprised to hear of a German attack on Barcelona. The Germans worked in coordination with Pirates, who recently had been blowing eachother to bits. Pirates bombarded the whole region, then German catapults, and finally the German swordsmen attacked.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany690BCSicilyStrike.png

He was also informed of Germans attacking Sicily. The Germans wanted a two-front campaign.

Barcelona fell within a year, Carthaginians never reinforcing it. The population was sliced in half during the siege, to 30,000 inhabitants. The defense of the settlement gradually fell on the veteran spearmen, then the regular spearmen, then warriors, and finally a last band of vetern spearmen numbering 100 men. They only slew 100 attackers before being crushed themselves. Barcelona was German. The whole of Iberia would soon follow.

Unfortunately, it looks like Germany DID have deals going with Carthage at the time. Ah well, it would merely make Germany more militant, as diplomacy was far too hard to conduct.

---

In 690 BC, Hannibal's army moved north, crushing the Pikemen of Barcelona, but a band of 500 swordsmen kept the town in German hands. He also sent forces to attack the flank, 1600 Numidian Mercenaries, by sea.

German artillery reduced that force to 1200 men in minutes. It took many swordsmen, but the force was eventually destroyed, as were the ones to the south of Barcelona. Germany then took the offensive, against Sicily:

Germany lost 1,100 of the 10,800 men it had sent. Carthage's garrisons lost 1,400 men. Such was the power of the Numidian Mercenary, nearly as ferocious as Greece's Hoplites!

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany690BCLeipzig.png

On the peaceful side, Germany established Leipzig in the far east of Canada while these sieges took place. Germany was ready to colonise the New World and build a vast empire OUTSIDE Europe.

----

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany680BCSicilyTaken.png

The fall of Sicily in 680 BC left half the men sent to Sicily ready to go elsewhere. And that is precisely what happened - they were sent to Iberia, where Carthage would be eliminated, and then a peace treaty would be signed dismantling their vast realm.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany670BCSaguntumCaptured.png

670 BC is marked by the destruction of Carthaginian forces at Saguntum. Constant bombing by German catapults destroys all but 300 of the city's 1,000 man garrison. Losing about a man for a man, German swordsmen capture the city, and the way to Cordova is paved:

---

660 BC had no real events of note.

---

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany650BCPrintingPress.png

650 BC yeilds to us the technology of the Printing Press, allowing military alliances and communications training.

We also establish the colony of 'Hapsburg' in modern Florida, named after the Austrian Royal family.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany650BCHapsburg.png

We also accidentally introduced the Indians to the Aztecs...ah well, we'll just have to make sure we trade off communications ASAP.

----

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany640BCCordovaFalls.png

And in 640 BC, Cordova falls into German hands! Soon, the German Empire's armies will advance to the gates of Seville, and Carthage will be kicked off of mainland Europe for good.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany630BCSinoTibetanWar.png

The Tibetans also declare war on the Chinese this year...this should be a nice conflict to watch. Korea also joins in...

Austria declares war on the Greeks, and a large number of Iroquois troops are seen approaching Hapsburg in Florida.

---

To be continued in the German Empire : 640 - 530 BC

There is little schoolwork due, so all you lurkers can rest assured that there will be a good deal of updates likely. =P

In game, I am faced with multiple crises, but each time I get one, a stroke of genius approaches me...

The first was what to do with Greece. Then I realised that even if they get Gunpowder, they CANNOT build musketmen without saltpeter. And since I have the Printing Press, a few military alliances will guarantee their demise. ;3 I also will have knights in about 6 turns from where I am now, and since they have FIVE attack points in Teturkhan's mod, they should do some damage to the hoplites.

The second is the Iroquois. A large stack of archers and spearmen is approaching Hapsburg. Obviously, they will attack us. I will play a few more turns, and if anything goes wrong, I will reload, then I will abandon the city BEFORE they declare war and send my pikemen and workers onto a Pirate Ship back to Leipzig in the north. It's a small setback, but it will still take Greece a while to challenge us here - especially when they get their 'birthday surprise' in a few turns. >=3

I will then build a settler and colonise Bermuda or maybe Jamaica. We'll see how it goes. I'll also make a note to settle mainland Canada, we could REALLY use the iron that's there to re-inforce our colonies.

Anyways, I'm off to play a few more turns so I can get another update up. ;)

Timerover, I am NOT glorifying NAZI Germany. That is the reason this was post was titled 'The First and HOPEFULLY ONLY Reich' because I'd rather not have a Third -Nazi- reich. Besides, the First Reich refers to the period of the Holy Roman Empire, which was what my first few posts were about, conquering what composed it.

This was one of my greatest fears with the title, people hear Reich and automatically think it implies Nazism. Reich means 'empire', Nazis merely corrupted the term, as they did with Fuhrer, Heil, etc.

The Nazis were sick people, and I'm sorry for your loss, but just because I use the terms fuhrer and Reich DOES NOT mean I am glorifying them in any way. I am merely glorifying Germany, because, well, when a country obtains power and influence that's what it does? (Rome, China, Britain, USA, etc.) And any racist remarks made by the characters and historian DO NOT reflect my own views.

Just making that clear. :3

The Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, Roman, or a Empire, but a collection of feudal states that pretty much despised each other with a passion. The only useful things to come out of Germany were Luther, Einstein, and Werner Von Braun. As for the rest, the only good ones are turning into fertilzer. Glorifying Germany is on par with glorifying the Roman Colesseum.

The Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, Roman, or a Empire, but a collection of feudal states that pretty much despised each other with a passion. The only useful things to come out of Germany were Luther, Einstein, and Werner Von Braun. As for the rest, the only good ones are turning into fertilzer. Glorifying Germany is on par with glorifying the Roman Colesseum.


Nice use of quotes, my adversary. :)

Look, I'm NOT here to fight over stupid stuff like which country is superior or inferior, whatever. I'm here to entertain people. XD

To me, all countries are regressive to progress, which is why I'm such an avid supporter of things such as the European Union(peaceful integration) or imperialism(violent integration).

And for pretty much calling me a Nazi or pro-Nazi, you're being rather hypocritical. You criticise the Nazis for mass murdering people because they weren't German or did not fit Hitler's ideologies, yet you yourself seem to HATE Germany. Of course, you might not border on mass genocide, but neither did early anti-Semites, and that philosophy eventually evolved into what would become Nazism.

Remember, hating someone because they ARE something is JUST as bad as hating them becuase they AREN'T.

Now, please do not reply, I'd rather not get this thread locked through a constant argument. I have a story to tell, you see. :)

Excellent game and story mate.

Excellent game and story mate.

Thanks! It's about time I get a POSITIVE comment, and one that isn't comparing me to Nazis at that! :)

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany630BCSevilleFalls.png

This section opens with the fall of Seville in 630 BC, kicking Carthage off mainland Europe for good. We summon an audience with the Carthaginian overlords, who reject our demand for their two colonies in Africa - Utica and Leptis Magna. As such, we vow to continue our war. The Monarchy proposes a brilliant plan that will convince Carthage to sue for peace - a conquest of Sardinia. Sardinia also manages to have some influence on mainland Italy - right between Sicily and the end of the 'boot' - and so for merely practical reasons we must capture it.

Germany also makes a last-minute decision to invade Scandinavia and make use of it's advantage in the Baltic Sea while it still has it. We also bring Russia and Britain in on the war, so that they will distract Scandinavian forces further.

We also liberally saturate the Iroquois invaders with gunfire from our ships. That may just convince them they'd be better off retreating to their huts and smoking a few peace pipes!

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany620BCHapsburgAbandoned.png

Hapsburg is abandoned in 620 BC when the town leaders report that as skilled as the Pikemen are, they will not be able to hold off so many attackers. The pikemen garrison and what few people are in the village board ships, and the next day Iroquois are shocked to find no inhabitants and no village to burn. They celebrate...but Germany WILL have it's comeback on the mainland Americas.

---

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany610BCSardiniaAssault.png

610 BC brings the assault on Sardinia. Sacrificing many of our pirates and privateers, we greatly reduce the city's garrison, and then attack with our swordsmen, and even some pikemen. The garrison drops to about one or two hundred men. Germany would have to wait for another date to claim the city as it's own.

We also attack the city of Stockholm, far to the north in Sweden. Once again, intervention by our pirate fleets make the siege far easier. And once again, only a few hundred men keep the city from falling into German hands.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany610BCChemTheft.png

We also robbed the Greeks of the technology of Chemistry, learning more about how compounds interact and what they're made of. Soon it will yield a useful invention - gunpowder.

Um how did you get Privateirs & pirate ships... when you didnt get Magnatism yet???


Good story any way :goodjob:

Um how did you get Privateirs & pirate ships... when you didnt get Magnatism yet???


Good story any way :goodjob:

Teturkhan's Map has a powerful naval unit called the Pirate Ship and the Asian Pirate Ship. I modded the map somewhat, so now they can be built by Europe upon discovering Monotheism and if they have the Altar Cross resource(to reflect Christianity's role in conquering the world for Europe), and I made it so China, Indonesia and India can build the Asian variants if they have the Blue Buddha relics. (So the least of my worries are the Greeks...European Pirate Ships can only transport 4 men, Asian ones can transport TWENTY. 0.0)

And for privateer units, those are produced by the 'enslave' feature of the Pirate Ships. Course, my Privateers are practically useless in this game, so they're good for distracting Greeks. ^__^

ohh... because when I play this map I cant get to America untill I get "modern" ships... or I get lucky to escape the Barb Gallys/Pirate Ships

ohh... because when I play this map I cant get to America untill I get "modern" ships... or I get lucky to escape the Barb Gallys/Pirate Ships


Well I added that feature to modify European / Chinese monopolies on exploration and colonisation. I also wanted to include the transition from private piracy to state-sponsored piracy. And you think those pirates are bad? I added many to form a 'wall' between Europe and the Americas. XD

A few questions. How were there medieval wonderc like copernicus and leonardo's when you took cities still in ancient times, and how did spain already have frigates in ancient times?

A few questions. How were there medieval wonderc like copernicus and leonardo's when you took cities still in ancient times, and how did spain already have frigates in ancient times?


Teturkhan's Map already comes with wonders built in their locations, FAR before they can be constructed. I suppose this is part of his emphasis on realism.

Spain, Britain, and France all begin with frigates and caravels. The AI is usually too stupid to slip them past pirates, but in the right circumstances, it could give the AI an edge.

Okay. Good story so far. Hope that it will actually finish unlike some stories that I've read on here.

hmm...maybe you could post a save for a starting location... I just want to see how the game is

hmm...maybe you could post a save for a starting location... I just want to see how the game is


Well, before I could even give you the version I'm using, you'd need to have Teturkhan's Mod installed. If you don't have the most up to date version, you can get it from Teturkhan, he has a threat devoted to downloading it.

Okay. Good story so far. Hope that it will actually finish unlike some stories that I've read on here.

Oh don't worry about that too much, I've told myself that I am not allowed to play any other civ games until I win this one. ^__^ 'Sides, it's just starting to get good...I finally get to destroy the Greeks, plus, they're competing with me FINALLY, they landed a settler on Newfoundland. O.o

If this is your THIRD story of the first Reich... isn't that the same as the first story of the THIRD Reich? :confused:


:lol: Haahaa, very good pun there. x3 This is just my third story period...which I hope to finish. This story is just about the First Reich, the others were about Rome and Persia. <__<

It's not that I don't trust you to finish, it's just that months of reading Pax Romana and still having no end have left me immediately untrustworthy of writers.

Teturkhan's Map has a powerful naval unit called the Pirate Ship and the Asian Pirate Ship. I modded the map somewhat, so now they can be built by Europe upon discovering Monotheism and if they have the Altar Cross resource(to reflect Christianity's role in conquering the world for Europe), and I made it so China, Indonesia and India can build the Asian variants if they have the Blue Buddha relics. (So the least of my worries are the Greeks...European Pirate Ships can only transport 4 men, Asian ones can transport TWENTY. 0.0)

And for privateer units, those are produced by the 'enslave' feature of the Pirate Ships. Course, my Privateers are practically useless in this game, so they're good for distracting Greeks. ^__^

Neat editions.

600 BC brings the war in Scandinavia to a head. Small groups of Russians patrol the route between Stockholm and Gavle. Pirate Ships fire into Stockholm, destroying ships in it's harbor and reducing the 1200 men garrison to just 300. Germany makes it's move. Without losing a single man, German swordsmen and Longbowmen capture the city, transforming it into another German colony.

Our forces lack the artillery necessary to capture Sardinia. We shall wait a few more years.

---

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany590BCCHivalry.png

In 590 BC, King Wilhelm IV desired to give Germany an edge over it's rivals. So he opened up the 'Teutonic Schools', which trained their students honor, chivalry, and most importantly - warfare. When students completed their training, they were referred to as the Teutonic Knights. Wilhelm had the perfect idea where to test these mobile, powerful men - Greece. Too long had Greeks ruled the Mediterranean with their fleets of paid pirates. The time had come to take Constantinople, and potentially all of Greece. And so Germany prepared.

And Germany also conquered. German Longbowen massacred the redlined Numidians on Sardinia, and it was hoped Carthage would forfeit it's colonies in Africa.

Carthage once again refuses to surrender Leptis Magna, so we focus on the regional picture and take Utica on Cape Verde, and Tangier across the strait of Gibraltar. The African coast and gates of the Mediterranean are now under German control!

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany580BCGunpowder.png

590 BC also is the year a Greek defector approaches us, giving us Gunpowder. Musketmen replace swordsmen, longbowmen, and pikemen across the board. To thank his efforts, we intend to invade Greece and unite Europe under our hegemony.

I apologise for the fact that it took so long to get the latest update up. Schoolwork dogpiled me, but I've finally broken through and might be able to get a few more updates up in the next few days (the fact I've shortened my updates to about 5 turns or less will also speed up updates - and spare my readers the horrors of slow load times)

Game Reports:

A bit of a bug almost crippled the Great German Empire. For some reason, Civ 3 Conquests would exit whenever I skipped the start up stuff...so I deleted and re-installed. I FORGOT TO BACKUP THE GERMAN REICH FILE!!! - my heart raced as I realised that only afterwards. Luckily, the uninstall feature leaves most files and folders intact...*sigh of relief*

To make things worse, it also kept giving me errors when I tried to load the file. I was like "OH NO!!!", and then after looking it up on the forums, I realised it was ONLY because I had forgotten to re-install the patch. :lol:

So, you all lucked out there, and the story can continue, despite how it looked like it might have an early grave...3 times in a row in one night!

---

Strategy:

Currently the German King/Emperor/Kaiser/Whatever is taking a bath, so I've been delegated to give you the full report. = )

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany570BCGermanReich.png

As this oddly high quality image states, Germany engrosses much of Europe, except for the southern Balkans/Greece, Russia and Finland, and parts of Scandinavia, the British Isles and the northwest half of Iberia remain independant. Germany also has outposts in Newfoundland(which now has a Greek colony...) and on Cape Verde off Africa.

German strategists say we must dogpile Greece with military alliances so that they may never obtain musketmen. Musketmen have half the health of their average hoplites(modifications give vet hoplites 8 HP <__<;; ), but we must not allow them to get even stronger. However, our oracles(ahem, testing then reloading) state that our hordes of musketmen cannot defeat the hoplites at Sofia, the most well defended city in the Greek Empire. To deter invasion and to suppress the local Slavic population, the Greeks have deployed a massive army of 7200 Hoplites (9 units!!!) there.

So, we've changed strategies. We will let our Teutonic Knights(attack value of 5) be trained before we consider an offensive. Luckily, we have a massive horde of musketmen at the German-Greek border, so we've obtained a new course of action: a defensive war. We will declare war on Greece to tie up their resources(Pirate Ships will stop being rebuilt, allowing us to banish them from the seas once and for all!), building up our own resources and slaughtering them as they come in.

We intend to recruit the following:

Russia - They are just north of Greece, and could hammer the Greek colonies in Ukraine if given time. They also have been to war with Greece before, so they might be more willing.

Egypt - Once Egypt declares war on Greece, it's two colonies in north Africa and potentially Central Africa are in jeopardy. Egypt has a well-developed core, is constantly advancing in technology, and is far-flung yet connected, they could turn the tide against Greece.

Arabia and Persia - Arabia will occupy Greek forces, and hinder them in Africa. Persia is obtaining iron from a secure source in India...they can use their Immortals - who have 3 bonus hitpoints and 4 attack - to possibly snag some territory in Asia Minor.

China, India and Turkistan - While these countries cannot offer much themselves in the war, they could hammer the Greek colonies in Siberia, as well as give us a diplomatic bonus in relations. As well, it will keep Greece from recruiting superpower allies with it's large treasury if they discover the printing press.

Israel, England, Carthage & Songhai - Israel and England cannot do much, but Israel could apply slightly more pressure, while England's alliance would keep our backdoor secure(weak as it might be, an incursion from Britain COULD tie up resources).
Carthage is reeling from the war with Germany, having lost 5 cities, being reduced to 4 cities in north Africa, 2 in southwest Africa, and 1 in Siberia. Conquering Greece with their powerful Numidians might be plausible, and could spark a new age of revival and power for them. Having them as an ally also would shield us against Greek attacks on Tangier in Africa.

Songhai is large, and could use powerful war elephants to smash the Greek colonies in the African heartland.

---

So the plan is simple. We declare war, do NOT attack, and keep building up our supplies of knights and cannons. At the same time, we get other powers to do our dirty work, Greece will so busy fighting on all fronts they won't be able to attack us with much (besides, a few city checks reveals almost no attack units besides about 4 longbowmen...). This will also tie up their fleet of Pirate Ships, and we can slowly slice and dice them. This will give us a monopoly on the seas, also crippling Greek - the main competitor in the New World - expansion.

---

We also intend to attack Spain once our per turn agreement expires in about 20-30 years. Once that happens, we can secure Iberia, gain it's ports, and also it's real prize - Magellan's Voyage - which will yield us an extra movement point for all naval vessels, giving us more of an edge over Greek vessels, which have 6 movement points.

Maybe you should take over England & get those wonders & that would get rid of having to protect your west side so much... just a thought... after killing those pirates of course

Seems to be sound.

Maybe you should take over England & get those wonders & that would get rid of having to protect your west side so much... just a thought... after killing those pirates of course

Indeed, we may just have to invade Britain. Though oddly enough, I seem to consider it a 'little brother' country, and I've decided to support it as a client state until we could easily overrun it. Remember the lesson of Poland, a small country =/= a weak country.

Then again, the British do have Shakespeare's theater...which would give us a collosseum in every city, and they also have Smith's Trading Company, which would give us a commercial edge that rivals the Greeks(they get a free market in every city thanks to the Colossus at Smyrna)

580 BC is the year we cut a deal with the Greeks - the arts of Chivalry that our Teutonic Knights master - in exchange for 5,825 units of gold. Greece lacks horses, so their chances of ever using it to it's full extent are limited. Besides China, they also have no real sources of import. Therefore, the trade is negotiable.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany580BCGreeceTrade.png

The German Kaiser used this money to re-organise the army, and most Longbowmen, Pikemen and Swordsmen quickly were trained into musketmen - a powerful change to our vast army.

---

570 BC was marked with our agents in China finding a morally loose scientist. In exchange for nearly 1,000 units of German gold, he agreed to sell us his secrets of metallurgy. This was a great discount compared to what the government of China desired for it. We also sold it in turn to the Egyptians - their science center at the Great Library constantly was recieving technology that other countries acquired.

It is also the year where the victorious German armies conquer Gavle in Scandinavia, our superior musketmen crushing their redlined archers.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany570BCScandCampaign.png

With that complete, Trondheim in the northwest and Reykjavik far to the north are open to German armies, and with time, we may just cross the Atlantic and conquer Iceland.

---

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany570BCArmy.png

In 560 BC, the Teutonic Knights gathered in one location east of Vienna - 2,000 men strong, the Teutons would be charged with crushing the large garrison at Sofia, and then smashing the Greeks at Constantinople. They would soon be backed with many more Teutonic Knights, in addition to the thousands of musketmen stationed in the Balkans region.

---

550 BC has nothing of note besides the Sino-Tibetan War coming to an end. Greek Pirate Ships are also seen sailing west - we must hurry up our efforts to take Constantinople and colonise the New World.

---

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany540BCTrondheim.png

In 540 BC, Germany conquers the grandest city in the Scandinavian homeland - Trondheim. The majority of the country's population falls under our sway.

THIRD PAGE! :D Don't feel disappointed readers, extensive loading and re-loading has revealed we have the resources to take Greece down. In about one or two turns, our armies from Spain will be in position...and then we shall eliminate - or at least cripple - the Greek menace, once and for all! :nuke: We'll also be establishing a new base at Bermuda, which will secure our place in the New World until the advent of Marines. We may also be able to use it as a launchpad to the Caribbean (Greeks might take some islands there...but our goal is to sieze all their colonies in a peace treaty. :evil: )

The Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, Roman, or a Empire, but a collection of feudal states that pretty much despised each other with a passion. The only useful things to come out of Germany were Luther, Einstein, and Werner Von Braun. As for the rest, the only good ones are turning into fertilzer. Glorifying Germany is on par with glorifying the Roman Colesseum.


You should update your knowledge of history! German history is far more than 12 years of the "Nazi-Barbarei"!

That jerk was only interested in pushing his bias against germans on everyone. TanicusFox maturely and calmly attempted to explain the reason for the story but he refused to hear logic. Then he started quoting Voltaire and it all went downhill.

I have a question! How did you manage to get so many units in an army? Whenever I get an army, I can only have 3 units, until I build the Pentagon, then I can only have 4.

Great story! Impressive conquests so far, though a bit too much reloading. You should at least wait until you actually control the Oracle to start using its powers.

I also have a question: what are the statistics for Musketmen? I'm guessing they have more than 2 attack to be worth an upgrade from Swordsmen. Also, can we have a blown-up world map? I'm curious how Greece, Songhai, China, and India compare in size to Germany.

I have a question! How did you manage to get so many units in an army? Whenever I get an army, I can only have 3 units, until I build the Pentagon, then I can only have 4.

In Teturkhan's mod, the Army unit is more realistic, and as such can pack 20 units. Pentagon adds another, as in the original.

Great story! Impressive conquests so far, though a bit too much reloading. You should at least wait until you actually control the Oracle to start using its powers.

I also have a question: what are the statistics for Musketmen? I'm guessing they have more than 2 attack to be worth an upgrade from Swordsmen. Also, can we have a blown-up world map? I'm curious how Greece, Songhai, China, and India compare in size to Germany.


Indeed, musketmen have 4 attack, 4 defense, part of Teturkhan's emphasis on realism. This is reflected in how all prior units(longbowmen, swordsmen and pikemen) ALL upgrade to musketmen, as a gun is both a good offensive and defensive weapon. ;)

And yes, I will look into a world map. I doubt most of my readers have magnified vision, so I will need to acquire one. It's becoming increasingly necessary - the Inca have mapmaking, and are now starting to expand, so the world map will change drastically in South America.

530 - 510 BC
---

In the year 530 BC we acquired knowledge of a standardised education system from a greedy Greek politician. Research is slowed to a near-standstill, full effort being focused on gathering a massive treasury, which would be used to finance campaigns. Our armies were also almost ready to lay siege to Sofia - and hopefully annex it into the German Empire.

---
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany520BCBermudaColony.png

The German Empire established the colony of Bermuda on an island off the coast of North America in the year 520 BC. This would guarantee our presence in the New World, and workers from the old Hapsburg colony molded into the city as well, making it very large for an island settlement.
Germany also sank 3 Greek Pirate fleets, one around Sicily, another in the English aka German Channel, and another in the narrow straits between the Baltic and the North Sea. Germany was on the upswing, Greece's fleet was already being demolished - and soon it would have no more craftsmen to produce more ships.

---

The German Army assembled along the Greco-German border later that year. The main force alone was comprised of 20,200 men. These would be placed against the Sofian Garrison of 7200 hoplites - famed the world over for the best skills with spears and pikes. The main Greek Army - which protected the Eastern Mediterranean and the surrounding areas, the "Greek Core" - was about 50,000 men, and they all had exceptional training. The Germans also had 7200 musketmen behind them, and these would be used to secure and destroy the region.

---

The German King, Freidrich X, stood in Berlin's amphitheater. As he spoke, his voice reverberated off the walls, which were designed to guarantee every member of the audience could hear loud and clear.

"Citizens of the German Empire! We must band together! Germany faces the greatest crisis since the Polish-German war!" he shouted. The crowd was silent, fearful.
"As you know, the Greeks have competed with us abroad for centuries, but now their arrogance reaches new heights! When we asked them politely to remove their ships from our waters, they retaliated with a declaration of war! We must unite my people, and strike down the Greek menace before it is too late! Already our armies amass near Sofia. By the end of the year, I promise it's inhabitants they will be liberated, no longer groaning under Greek tyrants! Then we shall take Constantinople, and make the Greeks pay for their arrogance!"
The crowd had erupted in cheers at their overlord's speech. Of course, as he left the podium, Freidrich was smiling. In reality, he had known that the Greeks had been pushed too far with threats, and this was the last straw. Greece refused to be bullied by Germans, but by declaring war, it was Greece who was the aggressor.

---

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany520BCInvadeGreece.png

The Battle of Sofia was a touch of irony. German swordsmen, despite being supposedly inferior, used their sheer numbers to overwhelm Greek Hoplites. 1500 swordsmen died, while 3200 hoplites died or fled. Nearly half the Greek garrison had evaporated. 600 of the remaining 4000 men died when German artillery opened fire. The walls had been crippled by such a blast before the German swordsmen rushed in, and the city was doomed to fall. The force of 3200 knights went in as a mass as well, killing 2400 Greeks and losing 1200 of their own. An estimated 1200 Greeks was all that was left protecting the city.

At the cost of 900 knights and 400 musketmen, the city was captured. Germany had finally captured all of the Balkans, and then set it's sights on Constantinople, which was not too far to the southwest. 40 percent of the population resisted German rule, but that was a sign that the locals did not mind our conquest too much. Greece had a habit of persecuting other religions, and the religious freedom now given to the local animists made them love us all the more.

---

With that complete, the King then sent diplomats abroad, with the intention of securing allegiances. There were 2 countries whose aid would be invaluable - Persia and Russia.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany520BCRussoGermanAlliance.png
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany520BCPersoGermanAlliance.png

Russia was a bit stubborn, but Persia was all too willing to join in with a little incentive. As we had plenty of resources to spare, we turned to protecting our African frontiers: Carthage and Songhai. They could harass the African colonies of Greece.

----

Greece recieved diplomats from all over the world stating war has broken out. Germany had brought Songhai, Carthage, Russia and Persia together to vanquish them. To add to the damage, Carthage had been given horses for free by the German regime. Turkistan joined, then Israel, China and India. The declarations continued to trickle in, until only the most distant countries, such as Japan, Cambodia and Britain, remained outside the coalition. Germany also sought to bring Egypt and Arabia in.

The Egyptians and Arabs had been at war for as long as time had turned. However, it was reasoned that if they both focused their efforts on Greeks, it would prevent any serious shifts of territory between themselves, thus allowing Germany to have a greater relative position post-war. Arabia had already captured the strategic Suez canal, so it was important to keep Arabs from moving any further west. And so, we sent out diplomats.

---

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany520BCChivTrade.png

We also negotiated a lucrative deal with the Arabs in exchange for teaching them the arts of our Knights. The deal also recoups the majority of our funds lost by buying alliances.

---

Germany was now poised to crush and conquer the Greek menace. The offensive was a success, Greece was surrounded on all sides in every one of it's territories, and soon the Greek fleets would sail from port for the last time.

Nice storytelling, Keep it up!

The great Quintillus requested a world map of the game. Unfortunately, I was not able to get a clear, good screenshot. Teturkhan's Map has so many cities...and western Europe looked like a mass of white as a result.

So I made this instead:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany520BCWorld.png

I'll do the countries by continent and color:

Europe:

Dark Blue = German Empire(First - soon to be second - Reich)

Orange = British Empire(however insignificant)

Light Blue = Spanish Empire(again, however insignificant)

Brown = Russian Empire(this is somewhat more significant, but without saltpeter they are no trouble)

Blueish-violet color on Iceland = Scandinavia, the last bastion of

Green = Greek Empire, soon to be a fragmented state.

Africa:

Blood Red = Carthage

Blue = Songhai

Yellow = Egyptian Empire(not as huge as it looks, this map was made to include cities after they've culturally expanded)

Black = Zululand (oh those poor barbarians...Arabia will likely pwn them soon, hopefully by the time we establish Cape Town on the southern tip)

Bronze/Goldish color = Abyssinia(only has 5/6 cities...meep)

Asia:

Pink = Arabia(extensive colonies in Africa)

Dark Gray = India(extensive conquests in the north, and with a distant colony in New Guinea)

Royal Blue = Persia

Dark Blue = Israel

Light Blue = Turkistan

Orange = Tibet

Dark Pink/Light Red = China(3 island bases east of the Phillipines, their population is reeling from the construction of Asian Pirate Ships - they take 3 units of pop to build, so Europe gets a historical edge)

Near Black Color = Cambodia

Dark Orange = Indonesia(extensive colonies going eastwards, they may invade India on New Guinea. They also start with a warrior monk in Sri Lanka, so I wish India luck - or not.)

Light Yellow = Mongolia. Mongol homeland and it's Machu possessions have been mostly conquered by China.

Japan = Dark Red, controls Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands

Korea = Not shown. It exists in that small pocket east of Manchuria and northeast of Korea. It is likely to be pwned by China in the following turns, and one less civilization will occupy the map.

The Americas:

Green = Iroquois cities and their immediate influence

Purple = Aztec Empire - likely to recieve German Conquistadores once Greece's fleet is dismantled.

Bronze/Gold = Inca Empire - currently expanding eastwards, but their lack of a navy and slow tech rate will be their downfall.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany520BCCoalition.png

Also, here's a quick review of the alliance against Greece. All allies are marked in black brackets. Greece is green. I'm sure you can all smell the ownage.

Nice work on the world map; actually looks like something I'd see in a geography text, aside from the boxes surrounding colonies. :lol:

Nice work on the world map; actually looks like something I'd see in a geography text, aside from the boxes surrounding colonies. :lol:


:lol: Yes, you're quite right, now that I think about it.

On the next world map, expect a lot less light gray due to colonisation...and a lot less green thanks to conquests. :mwaha:

Very nice World Map. I wasn't expecting anything nearly as fancy.

Question: What is the Metropolis cutoff, and what is the defence bonus? In particular I'm thinking of how difficult Constantinople (not Istanbul) will by to capture.

Very nice World Map. I wasn't expecting anything nearly as fancy.

Question: What is the Metropolis cutoff, and what is the defence bonus? In particular I'm thinking of how difficult Constantinople (not Istanbul) will by to capture.

Teturkhan's Map makes it so the highest you can get before reaching metro size is like 30 something. I lowered it to 20, so Germany is likely to lose it's population advantage once India and China start building hospitals.

I must have done drugs, because for some reason Hoplites have 4 defense. They also have 3 extra hp, which with the veteran bonus gives them a whopping 8 health points. Add the fact I modded it so elites get +3 HP then a regular, and elite hoplites have a total 10 HP, 4 defense.
Cities give 50 percent defense bonus, each citizen gives 16(Constantinople has 20, so 320 defense. :eek: And the city's well developed, each building gives 16 percent.
Luckily, Greece played right into my hands. They attacked the musketmen I stationed outside, both with the city's garrison and what was on the hill to the northwest. Needless to say, most of the Hoplites got massacred. This killed 2 or 3 hoplites, a swordsmen, and seriously wounded many of the remaining Hoplites. Add in the fact it pulled them out of fortification, and you can see why our combined muskets and knights defeated them. But I'll leave that for the next update. ;)
And I understand how grave the situation looked for us, I was considering using my knight army to simply to raze their connections to the Altar Cross, which would shatter their ability to build Pirate Ships. I'm still considering doing it even though I've taken the city, just in case it chooses to culture flip.

The interregnum between 520 BC and 510 BC was interesting. Korea was destroyed by China, the Austrians declared war on Mongolia so they could settle near their colony of Yakutsk, and Greece launched a retaliatory campaign - which was mostly a failure.

Greek hoplites, longbowmen and swordsmen tried to destroy the German army northwest of Constantinople, and about 2400 Hoplites and 400 swordsmen were killed, many more wounded, while the Germans only lost about 1400 musketmen, who's superior weapons proved crucial. By attacking the German Army, Constantinople's garrison had also moved out of defense formation. This was to make it far easier to capture the city, which some considered the second capital of Greece.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany510BCPersianIndianWar.png

Interestingly, Persia declares war on India. Our allies are all fighting eachother! We expect India to expand rapidly against Persia...we will have to destroy India once Greece is conquered. Luckily, we'll have a big ally - China.

===

Chaos erupted in the streets of Constantinople once the locals heard of the incoming German Army. Civilians moved to the south and east ends, desperate to escape and head to Asia Minor, or maybe board a ship across the Aegean to Crete. Either way, it was pure chaos.
The first wave consisted of the famed Teutonic Knights, they attacked with no mercy for their foe. Only losing 100 of their 400 horsemen, they downed 600 Hoplites. Favorable odds for Germany indeed. Commanders scurried about in their posts, cursing out the High Command's order to use primarily defensive soldiers to try to drive out the invasion. This had left the city of Constantine vulnerable, a grave error in judgement by the Greek rulers.
The odds reversed in Greek favor when 800 Knights were massacred trying to defeat 600 Hoplites. Only a garrison of about 100 or 200 Hoplites remained, and they knew that their defense was doomed to fail. However, Greeks were told the greatest honor was to die in battle.
"Children of Zeus! Death is not what awaits us, but honor and glory!!" The hoplite captain shouted as he and their men stood their ground as more Germans approached. The 100 Hoplites each slew 1 knight before they were all dead themselves, most dying with happiness inside, as their place in Heaven was secure.

===

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany510BCConstantinople.png

And with the fall of Constantinople, many craftsmen on the route from the city to Thessalonica were apprehended. They were told to lend their shipbuilding skills to German arms, or they would be slaughtered and tossed into the sea. Some accepted, many refused. The Germans were people of their word, and slaughtered every last person who dared to defy their authority. Regardless, the main goal of the war was achieved: Greece's ability to build Pirate Fleets had been dismantled at last. With time, Germany would rule the seas.

===

Shortly afterwards, swordsmen descended from Mount Olympus near Thessalonica. They effortlessly crushed the Greek Hoplites, losing only 400 men while slaughtering 800. Citizens saw the way the Germans were in combat, and began to wonder if the Germans had a relationship with the Gods. The fact they came from Mt. Olympus did not dispel the myth at all.
Another 800 bodies later, and 200 men were all that remained of the Greek defense at Thessalonica. The King of Greece was making arrangements to set sail for Crete, for he knew that it would not be long before Germans poured into Attica, and siezed Athens.
300 musketmen perished to crush the garrison, but the last Hoplites met the same fate as the ones in Constantinople. Thessalonica had been taken, and the Aegean looked more and more like a German Sea. 200 Natives joined the Musketmen as well, realising that Germany was the true power.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany510BCThessalonica.png

===

Knights dispatched of Hoplites and Longbowmen who had been sent towards Sarajevo, securing the German position in the Balkans. Cannons and all available men also positioned themselves in the hills north of Athens. The time had come to take the capital of Greece.

===

As the years approached 500 BC, Austria signed a peace treaty with Greece. Austria had been part of the coalition, but the alliance was mainly formal, as they had been at war for years.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany500BCMongolChinaPeace.png

Mongolia and China also signed a peace treaty, thus paving the way for their ability to conquer the Greek colonies.

===

The German King was desperate for a way to defeat Greece. While on land Germany had triumphed, the seas remained under Greek hegemony. Large fleets of Pirates continued to sail with Greek backing, as far west as Newfoundland. They even bombarded locations around the German Empire, so as to aid the Greek war effort. The solution came from Spain. Spain's empire was negligible, but they had some of the best shipbuilders in the world. They had a large naval academy at Lisbon, sponsored by the Despots of Iberia. This produced great voyagers, who established their colonies in the Azores and Canary Islands in antiquity. Thus, the key was to conquer Lisbon, and sieze it's secrets of navigating the open waters.

---

Despot Maria XXI was enjoying a bit of fine wine, imported from Germany's newly acquired wineries in southeastern Europe. Tensions with Germany had always been high, the fact their war with Carthage gave them half the Iberian peninsula did not solve this problem. But to ensure Spain's relative prosperity, it was necessary to remain on mostly-good terms with the German Monarch, who showed no real interests in Spanish possessions.
The female Tyrant's act of indulgence was interrupted by a loud knock at the door. With a motion of her hand, her guards opened it, a man scurried into the room, frantic, doing his mandatory bows and kneels.

"Why Hugo, what's the matter? You haven't looked so nervous since the day German merchants arrived, thinking they were going to attack. But in reality they just desired to give us wine."

The messenger, known as Hugo, was panting heavily. "Your highness... there is... an issue that... requires your immediate attention!!"
"Let me guess, the German merchants realised that we're running low on funds?"
"No...but it does involve the Germans."
"Alright. What does that arrogant fool Franz II desire?" Maria replied.
"...The city of Lisbon."
"WHAT?! Is he crazy?! We can't just GIVE cities away!" Maria was both shocked and laughing.
"No...it's not a deal. He really does desire it! His forces have invaded the city. 1500 of their well-trained knights, backed by thousands of musketmen! We only have about 1300 men their ourselves, and they're mere spearmen and swordsmen!"
Maria was shocked. She was NOT expecting this. Not only were German merchants capitalising on Spain's weakness to use them as a buyer, but the German Empire itself was facing a great threat in the form of Greece. The Despot ran to her War Room. Luckily, the cities of Madrid and Compostella 12,800 men together. They would form the retaliatory force.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany500BCSpanishGermanWar.png

---

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany500BCLisbonTaken.png

Lisbon's capture had the effects the King desired, and within weeks the whole empire had been taught better navigation skills. Pirate Ships could now move 6 squares instead of a mere 4, matching Greece's movements. It was now plausible to take on every Greek ship encountered. And that is just what Germany did.

Applying these increased movement allowances, bombardment became a fierce weapon of our Pirate Fleets. Their onboard cannons wreaked havoc on the Greeks around Sicily, sinking both their ships, while we lost none of our own. We took heavy damage, but we could repair our ships, and build more. The Elite Pirate Commander and regional admiral of the region, Captain Barbarossa, was killed in the battle of Sicily.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany500BCToulouseBattle.png

And the firepower was put to deadly effect elsewhere. The fleet stationed at Toulouse along the French coast unleashed hellfire on the local Spanish settlers and their protectors, reducing 1600 soldiers to a mere 400. Knights were to make mince meat out of them.

2 more Greek fleets are also sunk in the English Channel. It comes at a high cost of men, but at least it eliminates the Greek presence, temporarily.

About 300 men die killing 700 Hoplites in Athens. Wave after wave of soldiers continue to pour in, led by the swordsmen. 1900 knights die while slaughtering 2100 Hoplites. More remained in the city of Athens. It would be independent for a few more years at least.

Quite impressive victory at Constantinople. Even with poor decisions by Greece is seems with a 320% defence bonus it would have been very difficult to take.

The Indo-Persian war is an interesting development. It does seem to bode poorly for Persia. Does India still have War Elephants of does only Songhai have them?

Quite impressive victory at Constantinople. Even with poor decisions by Greece is seems with a 320% defence bonus it would have been very difficult to take.

The Indo-Persian war is an interesting development. It does seem to bode poorly for Persia. Does India still have War Elephants of does only Songhai have them?

Indeed, without my armies of swordsmen(go figure) and knights, I likely couldn't have taken it.

And yes, India has plenty of cities and people to use as resources, and their war elephants are likely to ravage Persia, with 6 attack and 2 defense. Luckily, Persia can build immortals(or at least they will be able to once we supply them with iron(India was giving them their iron)), who have 4 attack, 2 defense, and 2 extra health points. They're also 60% the cost of War Elephants, so if I act quick enough to supply iron, and if Persia attacks first when Elephants come in, they should be able to hold out. Hopefully, they might take a city or two from India, I would support an annexation of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Good wars so far.

Great work! Perhaps you should form 'unified Europe' and then look towards russia

Great work! Perhaps you should form 'unified Europe' and then look towards russia

Yes, we are divided where to go once we eliminate Greece. Egypt to the South has the Suez Canal(currently in Arab hands), and the Nile is a large population source...meanwhile, Russia lacks saltpeter, so it's limited to Pikemen and Knights. We could press the attack and gain some territory there, in particular in the Baltic and Ukraine. Those would be useful, as Russia has an Altar Cross and will likely start pumping out Pirate Ships soon(albeit, they only have about 3 ports(Tallin, St. Petersburg and Arkhangel'sk, so we should be able to handle those).

But yes, an invasion of Russia does look promising, as it's right along our Eastern border, and once we take it, we'll be far more secure, as well as poised to invade Siberia and Turkistan.

I say get rid of England after you finish off Greece and Spain so that you don't have someone waiting on your rear flank 24/7.

I say get rid of England after you finish off Greece and Spain so that you don't have someone waiting on your rear flank 24/7.

Yes, the more I think about it, the more promising it sounds...

Not only would Smith's Trading Company pay for all my commercial structures(that would save a ton of money on a huge empire such as ours), but Shakespeare's Theater would also yield a good happiness bonus empire-wide. Plus, I'd rather Britain not acquire British Infantry...(they're the one European brand that can match up to Geramn Infantry) Besides, we could use their colonies in the New World..

What do you plan? Take out England first and then go for Russia?

What do you plan? Take out England first and then go for Russia?

After some thinking, yes, that sounds like a good idea. On the other hand, England has been alone for so long they've likely amassed a good deal of troops(our Pirate Ships will reduce those pretty quickly though...bombardment that can yellow or redline units rocks. ^__^), but Russia should be easier, as they're far flung and they're at war, likely being massacred by Greek Hoplites. Once the conflict ends, Russia's offensive force will be in bad shape...combine that with the fact Russia is stuck with Pikemen for defenders, and yeah, you can see they're pretty backwards.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany490BCWorld.png

Same map as before, except you'll notice:

a) The Inca have expanded their holdings a bit via settlers.

b) China now occupies the region around Vladivostok thanks to eliminating Korea there.

c) I added features I left out last time in Africa - Suez is Arabic, Tangier is German.

d) Persia has conquered eastern Turkey by taking Trabzon from Greece

e) Germany has kicked Greece out of it's homeland via a massive invasion, and now we will move east to meet the Persians(who need iron and a secure flank to destroy India)

One question- No one in Australia?

One question- No one in Australia?

Currently, no. But given how India and possibly Indonesia have Asian Pirate Ships, I don't think it's long before they snag a few colonies. We're aiming for the southwest corner - control of the Refined Wines trade when Navigation is discovered.

China might also enter the game, but currently they're a) depopulated from constructing ships(Asian Pirate Ships cost 3-4 pop units to build, to reflect the gradual collapse of Asian naval dominance yet at the same time their enornmous resources required to construct such vessels - Asian ships are 3x as big as European ones, and this is reflected by 5 more HP then European Pirates, and 2 more HP. It also only takes 20 shields to build them, but the cost of population makes them FAR more expensive)

Overall, we're hoping that India, China and Indonesia will be so busy mauling eachother's navies that Germany can go around Africa(after building a colony there) and then establish bases on Australia. ;) Once we captured Smyrna from the Greeks, the Colossus will yield an extra movement point, allowing our European vessels to go 7 spaces a turn, while Asians can only go 6. What we lack in firepower, we can make up in speed.

490 BC brings great developments in the Greek and Iberian Wars of Liberation. Despotess Maria of Spain and King Nikos of Greece found themselves miles apart, on opposite ends of Europe, but with a common goal: the defeat of the German Empire.

First we'll take a look at Greece's role, which was far more important thanks to it's resources. Greece had shipped over the course of 20 years 4,100 men to retake Constantinople and the surrounding area. Nicos had defiantly shouted upon his acession that he "would not be remembered as the man who lost Greece to those vile Germans!" And so he summoned what little resources he could spare, most of the army locked up in the east trying to retake Trabzon from Persia, while others were trying to save Athens from defeat.

2400 men were directly northwest of Constantinople, and German artillery cut that down to 2,000. The Greeks retaliated by invading the workshops west of Constantinople, slaughtering all the craftsmen there, as they had defected to Germany rather then join ex-friends in the sea.

All the while, German soldiers assaulted Athens, and it was decided that at least 2300 men made up the garrison there. German artillery cut that down by 300, while more artillery rained fire down upon the city, killing hundreds more. 2200 Germans then died shortly after killing 1400 Hoplites. Athens appeared to be on the upswing, but it's men were tired and war weary, unable to withstand a siege that began with their fathers and grandfathers. Nonetheless, they continued on, determined to rebuff German assault. 500 more Germans died killing 600 Greeks, then several hundred more died on both sides.

However, Germany continued to unleash it's hordes of 'backwards' units on the supposedly superior hoplites, until finally:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany490BCAthensTaken.png

With the fall of Athens, great wealth flowed into the empire, as Greek luxury products, the huge tourist revenue from the Oracle Center, and the business of 1,900,000 people were added to German assets. Almost half the population resisted German rule, nine hundred thousand. Some of the Greek fleet was burned in the harbor, which would further hamper Greek resistance efforts.

King Nicos had long since fled to Crete, he had been watching the battle from the sea aboard Pirate Ships, and set sail when things turned dire. The Greek Monarch vowed to continue the fight from his new capital to the Southeast, but at least Europe would get quite now.

On to Smyrna it was! But first, we'd give the invading 'liberators' a lesson.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany490BCGreekWar.png

And the lesson was taught well! The main Greek force northwest of Constantinople was decimated by our large army of Teutonic Knights. Unfortunately, we lost quite a few men ourselves, but they could replaced, and now the way to Smyrna was open! Soon the Greek navigation experts would be captured, and Greece would likely sue for peace.

Dark Blue = German Empire(First - soon to be second - Reich)

This certainly makes sense because the Second Reich where Germany was unified by Bismarck. It makes sense because you are unifying Germany (and Europe). I don't think there's anything to :gripe: about with unification.

Great update! Subscription!

This certainly makes sense because the Second Reich where Germany was unified by Bismarck. It makes sense because you are unifying Germany (and Europe). I don't think there's anything to :gripe: about with unification.

Great update! Subscription!

The Second Reich also refers to the German Colonial Empire, and as you can see, we've got quite a few overseas possessions. ;) While they're not historically accurate, they'll still be useful as they go in tune with the 'British' strategy - control key naval checkpoints and build a large navy... and the world shall be yours.

Perhaps you can post a save for anyone who wants to play it? Looks like a fun game and you are still not the clear victor since there are large powers out there

As requested by Rodent, a save of the game...I hope it works. Also, it is made for Conquests that has been given the latest patch.

== Iberian Campaign ==

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany490BCIberianCampaign.png

4600 people, well equipped with materials to cross the Alps in the Winter, made their way across the Pyrenee Mountain range, between German France and Spain. While word had reached them of the outbreak of the Ibero-German war, they were positive that if they didn't cause too much trouble and stuck to the remote regions, they might be able to avoid German guards. Among them was a small band of about 1,000 settlers, some men, some women and some children. The force was well equipped with spearmen for a defensive, and some swordsmen to fight should the need be.

Spain was not afraid of using the swordsmen, as they had heard fantastic tales about their victories in Greece. And so, the group gradually made it's way through the few mountain passes that there were.

As the people lay in their beds as they made camp, they were awoken by what sounded what thunder. There were flashes of light in the distance, so it appeared to have lightning as well. But the odd thing was, there was no water. Soldiers immediately rushed into all the primitive tents, waking everyone up, saying they would have to leave immediately. The German Pirates in the port of Toulouse were raining fire down upon them, and the blasts had killed at least 800 soldiers, while wounding many more, also killing several families of settlers. Germany was clearly telling the people that they wanted them out - and FAST.

Luckily, their fears were not met when no German infantry stormed the region. The Germans were too busy siezing the Iberian homeland, which had lost nearly a third of it's territory with the fall of Lisbon. Germany had long been on the peninsula thanks to the war with Carthage, but now it's share of 1/3 of the territory had jumped to half. It was expected that Madrid would fall soon.

---

Despite the scurrying about of her ministers, Despotess Maria retained her calm. She refused to flee to Compostella in the northwest, despite their urging. Instead, she was suiting up, determined to fight the Germans should they arrive at the gates of the capital. She was like Nicos - she would NOT be remembered as the one who let Germany conquer.

Around Madrid's northeastern section, soldiers and civilians alike could hear gunpowder shots as the a band of 400 German musketmen dueled to the death with 600 Spanish swordsmen. While 300 Germans were killed, Spain lost the whole unit, and once more the northern path to Madrid - the one that was most open, being all plains - was lying in Germany's path. Maria also heard news that 200 laborers West of Madrid had suffered capture, while a small raiding party of 100 Knights had slaughtered the workers at the iron mine in the southwest. Spain still had one source of iron to fall back upon, but the situation was growing increasingly dire.

More bad news continued to pour in, with word reaching the Despotess of more musketmen slaughtering 300 swordsmen, and some of the locals joined the Germans afterwards, swelling their ranks to near 600, 200 of whom were wounded. The people of Madrid continued to work hard, though the ever increasing sound of muskets made them aware that it would not be long before the 'Blue Beast' was at it's door.

Panic came across the whole of the southern district's citizens when German Knights were spotted approaching, Spanish spearmen going out to greet them. They fought honorably, all 400 of them dying while taking out 200 Germans. The German ranks swelled as local peasants pledged allegiance to the powerful Teutonic Knights, bringing their unit back up to a good strength of 400. While they were not skilled themselves, these people gave supplies that made the conquest of Madrid all the easier.

More knights approached FROM THE NORTH, 600 of them, losing only 100 and killing another unit of 400 spearmen. Civilians began to grumble as they saw attacks on all sides. Maria was considering a move to Compostella - not because of fear of Germany, but because rumors of assassination plots and revolutions were reaching her ears.

---

Germany also sunk more Greek ships as they were going past Denmark to the Baltic Sea. A combined fleet twice the size of their own reduced them to half-size, and they were soon picked apart. With that, the northern waters were increasingly clear of Greek shipping, and Greece's ships seemed to be getting more and more limited to the Aegean waters.

=== 480 BC ====

In between 490 and 480 BC not much occurs. A force of 800 hoplites manages to down 400 musketmen, but is left with only 100 men. The Greeks also temporarily captured our unguarded artillery, but were soon beaten back because they had chosen to leave the cannons without protection.

They also sent a large fleet west from Crete, probably hoping to tie up our western resources.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany480BCMedTheater.png

The three main German armies head north to recover, setting up camp in Sofia and Bucharest, which are by now firmly in the German grip and thus not vulnerable to defection, unlike the large cities of Greece proper.

We also see another blow to Greece in the Mediterranean:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany480BCAntiochtoIsrael.png

Of all the powers to triumph, ISRAEL has siezed the large, strategic city of Antioch! The gate between Asia Minor and the Middle East, it's position and population will likely aid Israel's power standing. Israel must have been standing behind the line of Arabic bowmen, and when they were busy recharging, must have snuck in and taken the city. Regardless, it would be interesting to see how this conquest affects the balance of power in the Middle East.

With Antioch, more then half of what population was left in Greek Asia Minor goes away. Greece is certainly reeling from the loss of three major cities, one after another.

Smyrna was next on the German menu. Smyrna was located across the Aegean from Athens, and it was a major port city. Within it, there was the Colossus, an impressive monument that welcomed all sailors. Not too far was a great school, which taught the Greeks closely-guarded secrets about how to navigate the waters of the world. Combined with the shipwrights of the north, this school was a formidable asset to Greece's naval supremacy.

Germans were spotted north of the city, and panic ensued, naturally - the Teutonic Knights were one of the fiercest weapons in the German arsenal, and quite possibly the world. A band of 600 knights defeated 800 Hoplites, being whittled down to 100 men. Musketmen rushed in to back up the knights and allow them to retreat.

Due to a lack of a large force, the siege of Smyrna was postponed, though large groups of musketmen made their camp outside the city.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany480BCGLF.png

German cannons unleashed hellfire upon what little was left of the 'Greek Liberation Force'. This force had been tasked with eliminating Germany's presence, and besides slaughtering all the shipwrights, they had accomplished very little. They had turned into brigands, savages, plundering what they could find, as shipping no longer came. The farther they moved from shore, the harder it would be for Crete to supply them. Smyrna was also too tied up with a siege to send resources. And so, the GLF was completely isolated, constantly being bombarded with German cannonballs, even being victimised by knights and musketmen every once in a while.

4,100 men had been whittled down by battle, starvation, betrayal and desertion to a force of 600 men. Fragmented, they were desperate, and many were young, not having learned the true value of dying with honor. As such, they desired to move east to the Black Sea, possibly reach Ukraine and camp there, where it was relatively safe. It would certainly be safer then the hellhole the Balkans had become, as German soldiers clashed with Greek rioters and independence movements. Indeed, the Balkans -especially the Greek region - had become one of the most unstable areas of the globe(rivalling even Central Africa, which was war-torn between the Greek, Songhai, Arab and Egyptian empires, with native revolts and civil war), even if Germany was gaining the upper hand.

Another field of operations to see more conflict was the North Sea and Baltic region:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany480BCBalticWar.png

While some Greek Pirates had sailed off, more continued to pour in, one fleet of Pirates backing some small-scale Privateers. Artillery onboard the German ships desecrated the Privateers, who regretted exposing themselves.

Nearby, in the remote regions of Scandinavia, Germany clashed with the Norse tribesmen. The main Norse tribe once had been made of 6300 men, while another further to the North had about 15,900 warriors by comparison. These 6300 people had been reduced greatly, thanks to Greek bombardement of the area. Since they were a potential source for enemy shipping, Greece had done it's best to guarantee their genocide.

Germany took a more light-hearted approach, encouraging people to defect and settle in German cities nearby. They said anybody who refused would be killed. Many defected, while a great deal of them remained - 400 soldiers, with their wives and children said they would not leave. And so a force of 400 Teutonic Knights was called in with a special mission - assassinate Drogo, the leader of the tribe. Drogo's men were fierce, skilled fighters. They managed to kill 300 of the Knights before they were defeated, Drogo then impaled himself upon a German's sword, rather then give them the joy of killing him. With his last breath, he cursed the Teutonic Knights. But with his demise, the tribe was reduced to 300 soldiers, and they soon would be eliminated.

Germany sank the small fleet of Privateers near Denmark, and then made plans to eliminate the Greek ships in the British Channel. The Greeks were abandoning their northern campaign, much of their fleet retreating westwards, to Greek Newfoundland. The German Pirate Fleet in the British Channel was destroyed very easily, we did not even lose half of our own fleet. This was a reflection of deteriorating quality - that and some of their crew joined us mid- and post-battle, swelling our ranks.


---

In France, near Toulouse, another 1300 soldiers and some settlers were killed as the Pirate Fleet continued to rain artillery shells down upon them. The small band was quickly starting to disband, and many citizens simply fled, hoping to blend into the local populace.

Unlike 10 years ago, German muskets were to also be faced. But the defenders had the advantage - the forest. Hiding within the trees, they only lost 500 swordsmen, while killing 700 musketmen, including the destruction of a whole unit of 400. Germany made note to avoid conflict in the forest. Once again, they used excellent cover to defeat a squad of 400 musketmen from the Alps, losing a unit of 300 men while the Germans lost 300 as well. But with garrisons on the hills in the north and Alps in the South, they would soon be forced to cross open grassland. Wedged between Italy and France, it was sure to be a battleground.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany480BCMadridAssault.png

Not too far southwest, Germans besieged Madrid once more. More Teutonic Knights arrived, crossing the rivers, attacking Madrid from the North, South and East. Against so many attacks, the city's defenses were rather scattered. 400 Knights then killed 400 spearmen, while losing 200 of their own. These were soon replaced, as locals agreed to join the Knights. Dissent and defection would soon take their toll on the war-weary Spaniards.

From Toulouse, another band of 400 Teutons approached. Swords and shields in hand, they proceeded to batter the Spanish. They lost only 100 men, killing the whole force of 400 spearmen.

Maria had long since died, being replaced by Despot Juan I. Juan I sold out to the rich of the city, ignoring the pleas of the working poor to consider terms of surrender, vowing to continue the war. Even the soldiers did not like him, as they pointed to the way Spanish swordsmen - despite being so weak on the defense - were massacring German soldiers. With that in mind, people were aware that strategy was most important, and a great uprising occurred. Juan was quick to flee to Compostella, and the revolt would make it all the easier to devour Madrid.

More Germans attacked, a band of 400, elitely trained Knights killing 400 spearmen, losing 200. Spain's clear disadvantage continued. The people of the Portugal province - desiring to be with their families across the border, as the country of Iberia had been destroyed, now known as 'Spain' - cheered on the German invasion, denouncing Juan I while at it. Juan was reportedly also preparing to set sail on the open seas, towards the Canary Islands or the Azores.

As a pseudo-Republic was proclaimed and tactics were adopted, Spain's fortunes changed. Ignoring warnings from the Oracles in Athens, the German King sent 800 Knights against 800 spearmen. Without losing a single man, the spearmen cut the Knights down to 100 men. All the empire was shocked at such a development, which prompted the King to then send a band of 500 Knights, who were well-trained.

Those men faired considerably better, losing only 200 while downing 400 spearmen. Another 400 Knights lost 200 men while killing 400 spearmen. Then there was an interesting development - the new Republic of Spain's men were all gone! In the place of the well-trained spearmen, swordsmen remained. This was a sign that the civil strife was taking it's toll - the soldiers were divided between support for first Juan and the Republicans, and then they were divided between the common people and the wealthy elites(who were being executed en masse).

The King sent a message from Berlin to continue the assault, and bring Madrid to it's knees. 400 knights lost only 100 men killing 300 swordsmen. From what scouts and spies reported, there was only 100 swordsmen left in the city. It was anticipated Madrid would soon fall, and those who could flee quickly did - to the military dictatorship of Juan I in the northwest.

The Battle of Madrid came to a head when a band of 400 musketmen attacked, not losing a single man as they slaughtered the remaining hundred-man garrison. Madrid had fallen, and Iberia was now de facto German. It was also revealed that the treasury had greatly suffered, as only a handful of gold coins were found in the 'glorious' capital...

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany480BCMadridFalls.png

The people of Madrid were highly taxed, and the King relieved this burden immediately. He forced the tax collectors and the government workers to work in the fields. A great deal of the population resisted - fifty seven percent! - be it Juan loyalists or Republicans who did not want a monarchy. There was also a great deal of nationalist sentiment. Of course, a few shots of gunpowder helped solve most of that problem.

With the rebellion under control, Germans then proceeded to ship slaves off to Berlin for sale on the market, while also re-organising the army and preparing to assault Compostella. Juan I was greatly trying to assemble his best men, as he knew the small outpost would be surrounded within a year. Without central Spain's vast open plains posing a threat to much of German Iberia, many musketmen were relived of defensive duty. They were all sent to take Compostella, whole hordes of them. Within a few years, they would attack, and hopefully bring about the end of the Spanish Despotate.

Compostella was surrounded in months. Exhausted, the musketmen refused to go further, instead setting up camp. From the western coast to northern coast the Germans formed a human wall, christened the "Azul Barrier" by the Juanists. They put a stop to any forces going in or out of Compostella, and pushed Juan against the wall.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany480BCAzulBarrier.png

ithout allies and without much of an army, his ability to maintain power was slipping away very fast. He faced 6,000 musketmen alone, who were led by an additional force of 600 elite musketmen. He did not even factor in the fact Knights would likely add to the attack force, thousands of them. Most of the force hid in the forests south of Compostella, turning tactics Spain had used in France against them.

Not seeing much hope, Juan I committed suicide, lasting little more then a year in office. His successor, Carlos IV, was just as prudent, but he abandoned the wealthy, choosing instead to focus on the common people. This made him intensely popular, and it kept the Republican movement at bay. In his inauguration speech, he stated: "Like a German cannon, we will bust down the their 'Wall', just like they destroyed Madrid's." The German higher-ups merely laughed upon hearing such arrogance.

At the same time, Carlos IV retreated to his personal warfleet in Compostella's harbor, ready to take off should Germany ever get an advantage. Preparations were already underway to rechristen the Canary Islands as the capital district of Iberia.


At heavy losses to our newly-constructed fleet near Gibraltar, we also sunk the last Greek ships off Iberia. We then turned our attention to Sicily, but that theater is boring besides the Pirate Wars, so we'll focus elsewhere.

---

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany480BCWilhelmstadt.png

On a peaceful tone, we settled the province of New Brunswick and founded the city of 'Wilhelmstadt' - named in honor of the many great Despots and Monarchs bearing that name. We intend to travel further south and rebuild Hapsburg. As well, Germany will NOT abandon it's colonial ambitions in the face of Iroquois aggression this time around. We shall stand and fight to the end, and possibly bring the rest of the Americans against them. The city will also give us a slight edge over Pharsalos, the Greek colony in Newfoundland.

Once again settled on continental America, we are ready to begin our expansion in the New World - and possibly conquer all the local peoples.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany480BCAstronomy.png

The year 480 BC concludes with morally loose(dang those guys need to get their stuff together) Chinese scientists sharing us their knowledge of Astronomy. Now able to use stars and celestial bodies in our calculations, the open seas are safer to traverse. Once again, the technology is at a relative discount - 1,000 units of gold is required to bribe the scientists.

:wow::faint:

Wow, if I were Spain and Greece, I would have conceded by now. Look at those huge stacks of musketmen!

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany480BCWorld.png

An updated world map.

Changes:

Germany has acquired Madrid, hence why most of Iberia/Spain is now blue.

The Inca have expanded again, thrusting into the center of South America. At this rate, they'll take over the whole continent within 10 turns!

Israel has siezed Antioch in Asia, and as such has more then twice it's original population, and more influence in the world.

Power Bar to see the effects of war:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany480BCPowerBar.png

We are 4th in score, behind the Indians, Chinese and Arabs. We'll get rid of the latter eventually. You can aslo see Greece's power has been halved, while Germany and it's allies are growing stronger with each passing day.

Great work :goodjob: !!!

Looks like the Inca AI got some brains

:wow::faint:

Wow, if I were Spain and Greece, I would have conceded by now. Look at those huge stacks of musketmen!


You think that's bad? Wait until you see the hordes the Iroquois sent to destroy Wilhelmstadt...

Here's a hint: THIS. IS. SPARTA!

Great work :goodjob: !!!

Looks like the Inca AI got some brains

Not just the Inca, the Iroquois do as well. Two times in a row they've tried to evict us...I just hope this time around we'll be able to rebuff their invasion, or at least cripple their force(once we get our troops over from Europe in a counter-attack, they will be SCREWED. As Spain brilliantly shows, spearmen suck against Knights, or even musketmen)

=== 470 BC ===

In between turns, we find ourselves in a perdicament in Newfoundland and New Brunswick:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany470BCAtlantic.png

With Iroquois soldiers marching from the west and a small band of Longbowmen from the north, we find our resources stretched. We plan to re-inforce Wilhelmstadt, but first we saturate the Greek invaders with artillery from our Pirate Ships. The blast redlines the Longbowmen, so we're positive our pikemen there can hold the line. More spearmen are being trained.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany470BCIroInvasion.png

The Iroquois are different...10,700 archers, 5,500 spearmen, and 6,600 warriors. Total = 22,800 soldiers. We have only 1,200 spearmen ourselves. Can you say "meep"?


--

General Vercingetorix, a Frenchmen turned Teutonic Knight, personally led a force of 500 some Knights. He had been appointed by Royal Order to oversee the attack on Compostella, and was told that if he was victorious, he would earn a position as overseer of the Compostella region. Wishing to retire, such rulership would definitely benefit him.

Clad in armor, his soldiers awaited the signal. With an outstretch of his arm, the 500 Knights charged the young, inexperienced guards of Compostella. They were not expecting the fury of the German Knights, the last reports had been only 7,000 musketmen would besiege them. They were all cut down, Vercingetorix's army losing only 200 men. More Knights were brought to the front, 400, losing only 200 while downing the Compostellan 400 spearmen. After that, the units of spearmen available declined, having a size of 300 soldiers instead of 400. The smell of defeat was strong in the air.

With no Knights up to full strength, the German Army turned to it's horde of musketmen. Led by a 600-man force, they charged into battle as one. They lost only 100, while Compostella lost 300 men. Despot Carlos IV set sail immediately on a relatively advanced frigate, sailing for the Canary Islands. He was rudely interrupted by Greek Pirate Ships, who made short work of them, plundering the grand vessel before tossing them all into the sea.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany470BCCompostFalls.png

Another 400 muskets lost half their force while crushing more Iberian spearmen. However, without any more defenders besides the local militia, Compostella was declared conquered! Germany had eliminated one of it's weak spots, and was now prepared to make the leap across the sea. But first, it had to dipose of the vile Greeks and their ships...

Germany also disposed of the Spaniards moving through France, capturing who they could and shipping them off to Berlin to fuel the slave trade. Besides sinking a few ships near Sicily, nothing major occurs in the war on Greece.

We also eliminate puny Spanish attempts to retake Sevilla in Southern Iberia, marking Europe as Spanish-free. Given the new non-European nature of their empire, the mixed-breeds of the Canary Islands and Azores stage a revolt, each forming their own independent political unit, each claiming legitimacy to the Despotate. The city of La Caruna in Siberia just establishes it's own city-state.

Our troops are now amassed outside Smyrna, and next turn they will be joined by our recovered Army units. They will hopefully be able to apply the force necessary to take over the city...

Thr Iroquois need to find a better use for all this pent up aggression.

Very nice story. :goodjob:

Shame about the reloading.

Thr Iroquois need to find a better use for all this pent up aggression.

Yes...it'd be so much better if they would attack the other American civs, makes German-Chinese dominance so much easier...that and the Inca need to be stopped, most of the time they attack the Aztecs and give them quite the buttwhooping. (Panama gets taken, meaning we have to wage war to take it back, etc. Much easier to take it from the AztecS)

Very nice story. :goodjob:

Shame about the reloading.

Well, we didn't have much choice but to reload, if anything had gone wrong, Europe would've likely seen a revival of the Byzantine Empire. o.o;

As requested by Rodent, a save of the game...I hope it works. Also, it is made for Conquests that has been given the latest patch.You've inspired me to download Tet's mod and maps.
You said you've made some adaptations to the biq. Can you upload the biq as well ?
Thanks.

Hmm, seems there was an issue with uploading the file itself. Let's try a .zip...

Ah, there we go! In this .zip folder is my slightly modified version of teturkhan's map. :)

currently reading like a madman - enjoying it very much - thank your for a great and entertaining story - keep it up!

meep - reminds me of blackadder actually :)

greetings from CCDK - also known as "CC" (CrazyChicken - Denmark)

=== 460 BC ===

460 BC opens up with MOSTLY good news. While the Iroquois invasion force has doubled in size, it is mainly composed of warriors and regular archers. We MIGHT be able to withstand this assault if we defeat the first one.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany460BCGreekCampaign.png

In the European theater, our forces prepare to unleash hell upon the Greeks - all our armies are fully restored to a total combined strength of 11,600 swordsmen, and 5200 Knights. Most of them march on Smyrna, while one of the armies heads Eastwards to conquer the Ukraine. Greece's presence in Europe is about to come to an end.

While the Greeks manage to rain catapult fire down upon our men, it is not enough to stop the fall of a unit of 800 veteran Hoplite soldiers. Another band of 800 steps up to face us. We lost 500 Teutonic Knights in the battle, but we have a secret weapon to aid our soldiers...

A Pirate Ship! Just finished in Thessalonica, it will be able to rain 3 shots down on Smyrna, and we hope each one counts...

The relatives of the slaughtered shipwrights east of the city had done their best to construct the vessel, desiring revenge on their former overlords for such senseless slaughter. Many innocents had also perished as the Greek Liberation Force turned to savagery to sustain itself, and those who had survived or who were related did their best to back the German effort. The best sailors in the region loaded up into the ship, and set sail for Smyrna...

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany460BCPiratesSmyrna.png

The bombardment was a success, killing 500 Hoplites. As no fresh divisions took their place, we assumed the best and believed there to be 1900 Hoplites left to defend the city. But artillery was not yet done - 5 battalions of cannons moved into position, opening fire on one of the great cities of the Mediterranean. Amazingly, no real casualties were inflicted upon the defending garrison, though a good deal of civilians were injured or killed.

As our Teutonic Knight Army was exhausted from both combat and travel, it refused to go further. So we called upon smaller units to do the job...

A 600-man band of elite musketmen charged the defenses, and while all were lost, the Greeks lost 300 of their Hoplites. In the face of German hordes, they were likely to fall. 400 Teutonic Knights were lost killing another hundred Hoplites. 300 more were killed, while eliminating 200 Hoplites. With numerous musketmen and Knights, the German King told his men to press on.

German fortunes change when 500 Hoplites are killed by a force of 400 Knights, who lose 300 of their own. The Battle of Smyrna takes a more positive turn, and it seems Germany will win. Greece gets favorable odds when 700 Knights fall killing a mere 100 Hoplites. While Greece seems to have the advantage, Germany's sheer numbers will decide the battle.

Musketmen are called in, 500 of them, their target is a band of 300 Hoplites. All the Musketmen perish, but they reduce the band to 100...which is soon joined by local militias and is replenished to 300. Hundreds more perish in the ensuing slaughter, leaving only 100 Hoplites to defend the entire city. They all take an oath to fight to death, and the Musketmen do likewise. 400 musketmen arrived at the gates of the city, and the battle commenced.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany460BCSmyrnaTaken.png

And while losing only 100 men, Smyrna is captured! The Colossus - with it's economic benefits - and the city's shipyards are ours! Not even the Asian Pirates can keep up with our speed and navigation skills!

66 percent of the people resist the German occupation, and they are dealt with via threat of force. But regardless, without Smyrna, Greece is shattered, as the land route to the East - towards Persia, Arabia and India - is opened. The Greek monopoly on trade is finally abolished.

Tired of not being paid for decades and seeing that their former employers are more of a burden then a benefit, the Privateers in Newfoundland revolt against Greece, staging a mass mutiny turned revolution. The city of Pharsalos is taken over by the gunboats with ease, and the returning army of 100 Longbowmen pledges their allegiance to the new rulers.

Greek Ukraine also revolts, forming a new capital at Sevestopol. Years later, Ankara rebels, forming a new landlocked city-state, with minor fishing villages on the Black Sea.

While all these revolutionaries seek peace and recognition from Germany, the Monarch refuses, saying he would rather conquer them then accept their puny claims.

And conquer them he did. In Ukraine, 5400 Swordsmen attack the city of Odessa. 500 Swordsmen kill 800 Hoplites, and already citizens flee east towards more secure locations. They are met by German musketmen, who have pillaged the local area's irrigation and roads, cutting off all land routes eastwards. Odessa is ripe for German conquest.

---

Maximillian von Hapsburg was a powerful man. Hailing from the noble line of Austria, his branch of the family had chosen to remain in Transylvania while the majority fled East to rule over their pathetic domains. Over the centuries since the great Vienna-Berliner War, the Romanian Hapsburgs had rebuilt their estate very slowly, and eventually were appointed to full noble status by the German King.

Maximillian had served in the army during the conquest of Spain, and it had given him a great understanding of tactics. He eventually become quite the noble - he held special economic priveleges in nearly all of Gallia(France) and Iberia. He also held the official positions of governors for most of the region as well. When the King finally died, he had no successor, but he chose Maximillian. While there was great opposition to this, Maximillian vowed to continue the royal bloodline, and did this by marrying a niece of the King.

"Old Max" was proclaimed King, and once the German armies conquered Smyrna, he said Germany's naval and land influence was near-omnipotent, and so he proclaimed himself Kaiser - Emperor. While German rulers had previously been called Emperor, he formalised it. He went so far as to adopt and change the royal family's official surname to 'von Richtoffen Europa', which was internationally condemned, as Germany was proclaiming dominance over Russia, Britain, parts of Greece and parts of Carthage.

The empire now had an emperor, and became a truely imperialist state. Max went about militarising his country further, and he took a far greater stance in international politics.

Max's reforms involved sending 2400 of our best men, musketmen and Knights, westwards towards Oneida on the Atlantic Coast. Once our forces landed in the New World, we could wreak havoc upon the Iroquois people, and make them regret ever planning to initiate a war with Germany.

While we killed about 2,000 or so Iroquois men with Artillery Fire, it did not matter. Chances were the city of Wilhemstadt had taken it's last breaths.

While it was risky, as there was a chance the vessel could be sunk, if those soldiers landed in Iroquois territory, it would be the end of their empire.

=== 450 BC ===

In the years between, the German Empire faces it's greatest challenge in the New World - Iroquois invasion. Fielding tends of thousands of men, the Iroquois were determined to drive us out, and they began by attacking Wilhelmstadt. The Germans there would fight to the death.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany455BCWilhelmRazed.png

2600 Iroquois soldiers died defeating the Wilhelmstadt garrison. They plundered and burned all they could find, stealing the city's government supplement of 15 units of gold. Maximillian I was quick to declare unanimous genocide against all Natives of North America who were "young, strong, or powerful". In essence, every soldier and politician was to be murdered on sight - NO exceptions.

Immediately, our Pirate Fleets - which had parked themselves outside Wilhelmstadt to avoid capture - opened fire, killing several thousand Iroquois troops. Two Pirate Ships and their smaller support ships sailed south to Oneida.

The flat lands around the city made it all too easy to kill the garrison. 600 of it's 800 spearmen garrison were killed - it appeared the Iroquois had sent most of their army - defenders, attackers and otherwise - to attack Wilhelmstadt. When our army arrived, we expected easy victory. The Pirates also killed 1/4 of the city's population with it's artillery fire. Blasts from the second ship destroyed it's army base and it's temples. Another blast reduced the city to half it's original population.

---

A little to the northwest, in the capital of Seneca, the Iroquois elders were meeting.

"HIAWATHA! You told us the Germans would be an easy foe to defeat!" shouted one of the tribal elders who had approved of the war.

"But it is, my brothers, already we have destroyed the city of-" Hiawatha said before being interrupted.

"TO HELL WITH WILHELMSTADT!" another elder intervened. "I am the representative of the Oneida tribe! Half my people have been murdered because of your foolishness! Our gods will punish us further, as our shrines and temples have been reduced! We should have NEVER sent our troops away on your campaign of...of...OF ARROGANCE!" The elder of Seneida was fuming.

"My brothers, please calm down. While the loss of Oneida's people is most regretful, I have great news! Our offensive force consists of 46,500 men alone! Together, we can surely smash whatever the Germans can throw at us! Besides, Greek Pirates still roam the Great Sea, and that will be more then enough to keep Germany's fleets occupied."

"Very well then, Hia." The elder of the Illinois tribe replied, demeaning the first-among-equals by the nickname. "I believe the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, so the rest of us will continue the war. Agreed?"

"Agreed!" The council shouted in near-complete unison. The Elder of Oneida just nodded grumpily.

---

Greeks and Germans competed for dominance once again in the decade. In the Atlantic, German ships targeted Greek ones, causing quite some damage and destroying 3/4 of the fleet off Europe's coast.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany450BCAngoraAssault.png

Next, we sent what was left of our army from Smyrna to Angora in central Asia Minor. Made of 10,900 men, it was expected we could crush Greece once and for all. Losing only 400 Teutonic Knights, 1,000 of the Elite Hoplites were massacred. The battle then fell to the skilled bands of 800 Hoplites. Only 100 Knights died, killing the whole band of Hoplites. More stepped up to the plate, and they would clash with our southern Swordsmen army. Made of 6200 men, their inferior weaponry could still pack a punch.

1300 swordsmen died killing 800 Hoplites. While not wonderful odds, it still meant that Angora would soon fall to Germany. 1300 more Knights kill the remaining garrison, and therefore...

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany450BCAngoraFalls.jpg

To appease the local Turkic tribes who had long been under Greek dominion, we change the city's name to Turkish Ankara. Unfortunately, many Greeks live in the city, causing half of it to riot and rebel against us.

Our Pirate ships also sunk small fleets of galleys that were delivering Greek longbowmen. The Aegean - indeed, the whole Mediterranean - was under German hegemony. We send the fleet further south, where it bombards the island of Crete and destroys it's wineries. That should at least deprive Greece of luxuries.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany450BCrete.png

As with before, we take a look at the world's affairs and notice excellent news:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany450BCSpartatoSonghai.png

Songhai has taken the Greek colony of Sparta in Libya! Songhai gains it's second port in the process, expanding it's oppurtunities. It also creates a nice wall between Carthage and Egypt. Africa has just gotten more unstable...

We also go to the Chinese, and discover they have Buddha Relics for sale:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany450BCBuddhaRelics.jpg

With the flow of Buddha relics into Europe, we are able to convince more Chinese people to emigrate to Germany's shipyards and aid in the construction of mighty ASIAN PIRATE SHIPS. Boasting 5 more HP, 8 more transport spots, and 2 more movement points than the European model, it will certainly aid us. In this day and age, size matters. This will also enable us to trump Greek - and later Russian - Pirate Ships. Unfortunately, they require considerable manpower to construct and maintain (3 pop units), so as such Kaiser Maximillian requests only about 5 or 10. Possibly 15 if we're lucky. On the flipside, they only cost 10 shields to build. So we switch all of Greece proper over to Asian ship production...

En route to the Americas, some of our Pirate Fleet comes across a stunning surprise near the Spanish-held Azores...

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany450BCAzorePirates.png

Amazingly, we find fleets of Pirates who AREN'T shacked up with the Greeks! They are all English in origin, apparently having split off from Greece's Privateering Industry when Greece's economy collapsed. They have all formed a mighty Pirate coalition. We do our best to sway them to our side with our large treasury reserves, but alas, they cannot be bribed. So we do the next best thing - attack them. As we hoped, some crew members desert and join us in a support vessel. We figure the Spanish don't need THAT many Pirates marauding the island.

In the north, 1300 swordsmen die killing 1600 Hoplites in Odessa. The city's fall will need to wait a few more decades.

Alright guys, sorry it took a while to get that in...in good news, the schoolwork is finally starting to trickle! In fact, most of the last work is due around May 12, so you can expect faster updates with the onset of Summer Break. :)

Yay! more updates from my current favorite thread!

Yay! more updates from my current favorite thread!

Wait until you see the next one. <.< Germany's power temporarily wanes...

Here's a hint: Anti-Greek Genocide

All your work will fall off after May 12th too? That's cool.

=== 440 BC ===

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany445BCConstantinopleRevolts.png

In 445 BC, Constantinople revolted against the German Empire, forming it's own city-state. The Kaiser condemned the action extensively, and ordered his armies to eliminate the city and burn it to the ground.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany445BCTangierRevolts.png

...And possibly inspired by that rebellion, Tangier in Africa also revolts, shattering our control over the strait of Gibraltar. The Kaiser makes plans to invade Carthage once all agreements with them expire.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany440BCConstantinople.png

But we are in luck - Constantinople is in riots! It seems they did not take kindly to the Royal Greeks invading the city to crush the short-lived democracy and replace it with an absolute monarchy. Add to the fact a good deal of the population is German, and that spells trouble. Germany's armies advance on the site, recently relieved from duty thanks to Ankara's fall.

Rather then attack directly, we allow our ships to do the talking...our Asian-designed ships. The Greek Empire's Hoplites are reduced to a mere 100, and a band of Knights attacks, losing only 100 to finish them off. The Asian Pirate Ship is truely the most deadly weapon in our arsenal now. Since a third of the city does not welcome us, and we find not a single German, we burn it the ground.

Musketmen lined up around the city while Knights and volunteers set fire to everything they got near. Anybody who tried to escape was shot without hesitation by musketmen. It was a very brutal massacre, but Germany had to make the price of defiance clear. Using an ancient Roman technique, the highways from Constantinople to Athens, Sofia, Smyrna and Ankara were all lined with the tens of thousands of people massacred, who were propped up on crosses.

The heartland was commissioned to send settlers to the area, to rebuild a new city so we could still rule the Dardanelles.

Despite the defections, we expand further, by taking the port of Odessa in Ukraine:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany440BCOdessaTaken.png

Thanks to squabbles over leadership, the Crimea secedes and forms a new capital at Sevestopol, leaving the rest of Ukraine to rechristen itself the Grand City-State of Rostov. It seems the Greeks are reversing their history: From city-states to a single empire, and then into city-states once again.

Within a decade, we will also land our small expedition of 2400 men in Oneida, which has suffered great losses thanks to German ships.

Great work :goodjob: !!!!!!

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany440BCWorld.png

Here's the world in 440 BC.

Notable changes:

You can see the German expedition to the Americas in Blue, we have lost Tangier(south of Spain), and Greece is almost removed from Europe.

Israel has siezed Antioch in Turkey, Songhai took Sparta in Libya, and the Iroquois burned down one of our cities - Wlhelmstadt - near New Brunswick, Canada.

You can see predicted movements of the AI and the Big Three:

-China has been exploring Alaska's northern frontiers, so it may not be too long before they sieze a few colonies. I'll have the advantage in the Americas, being closer and possessing 9 move per turn ships! (The regular Asian Pirate Ship can only move 6 squares a turn)

-India also is one of the "Big Three" in terms of exploration and colonial acquisitions. They have colonised northern Australia, and it's predicted it will not be long before they take the whole continent. Germany will rush to acquire at least one base.

-The last member of the club, us, has explored most of the world already, and we know every civ. We're sending 2 elite muskets and 2 elite Knights towards Oneida, which is reduced to 2 redlined spearmen, and we'll also set up base on a hill next to it. We intend to capture Oneida, hold down the fort, and then and then burn almost every Iroquois city to the ground. Once we discover Navigation, the Iros are screwed - we can build muskets in the colonies, enabling us to overrun them.

-Arabia could be a member of the Big Three, but they lack the sufficient shipping technology to compete. They know little besides what we teach them. They do have extensive colonies in East Africa and are looking to take Madagascar. Proof of their potential is they are 3rd place - we are fourth. Arabia is also tied up with our war with Greece...clever way to stop their expansion, eh? ;)

-Egypt could also be a member, they are one of the Big Four in technology(Germany, Egypt, China and India). They have a large colonial empire in Africa, and once their borders expand, will cover quite a good share of it. From their free granaries(Pyramids), free techs(Great Library applies for ALL technology), and their lush homeland, Egypt will have potential once it builds Caravels. Luckily, chances are they'll run into us(Mediterranean) or the Indians(Indian Ocean). :)

== 430 BC ==

In 430 BC, ships off the cost of Libya witness the Battle of Cyrene. Wave after wave of Songhai and Egyptian invaders are killed, thousands upon thousands dying. Despite considerable losses, Songhai emerges victorious, eliminating the few thousand Hoplites stationed there. With that battle, Imperial Greece is restricted to Crete and Cyprus. Faced with limited power projection and the rebellions in it's far flung colonies in Central Africa, the New World, and Siberia, Greece's days as a power had finally ended.

--

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany430BCNewCapitalRome.jpg

Completing it's period of Romanisation, the German capital is moved to Rome. On the seas, it can produce ships more rapidly, has a large population to exploit, and it also gives us a window on the Mediterranean - now one of the most competed regions on Earth, with 7 countries vying for power. Germany leads, controlling the whole European segment except for the Greek and Carthaginian colony islands. Carthage maintains a quarter of the coastline, with Egypt, Arabia, and Israel having sizeable holdings. Greece, Israel and Songhai are limited to two main ports a piece.

--

Speaking of capitals, Greece will need a new one very soon...

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany430BCCreteInvaded.jpg

A small force of 2200 men has landed on Crete, and they are now poised to take the city. With support from Asian Pirate Ships, we expected the invasion to be a picnic. All our Pirates together have a combined bombardment of 27 shots. We make full use of each. The resulting hellfire kills 2600 Hoplites, leaving bands of 400 in charge. We then lose 300 out of 600 Knights while defeating one of the 400-man groups. 600 Musketmen downed another 400 Hoplites afterwards.

Greece's king Kleomenes VII was considering fleeing, but what little navy Greece had left in Europe had been decimated by the artillery fire. He was relieved when his defenses held, albeit by only 200 men. He immediately began to suit up, knowing he should at least die in battle against the German scourge. A draft was also instituted to gain more recruits.

--

While Germany's conquest of Crete is halted, we have two other theaters to focus on...first, the one in the Ukraine:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany430BCSevestopolSiege.jpg

The city of Sevestopol's governors are shocked to see Asian Pirate Ships. Last they had checked, Germany had leveled Constantinople, as a side effect blocking the sea routes between the Black and Mediterranean Seas with rubble. Indeed - the Asian Ship was manned by slaves and citizens from the city of Odessa, which now had half it's original population. The city's leaders held their breath as the ships tilted to the side, opening fire.

Luckily, the navy in port takes the brunt of the damage - half of it's ships are destroyed by artillery. The siege of Sevestopol would have to wait for another day - the Hoplites were still far too strong. The Swordsmen Army does advance however, killing 800 Hoplites while not losing any numbers.

--

The Atlantic Theater is next. We finally defeat the rest of the Greek fleet west of France, and while we're positive more Pirates are coming to steal the growing booty from the Trans-Atlantic trade, we are confident our empowered fleets can destroy them far easier. The North Atlantic will soon be under universal German control.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany430BCOneida.jpg

Further to the West, in North America, 2400 men land on the hills southeast of Oneida. The battle for the small city will potentially decide the fate of the Iroquois.

Fortified upon the hills, and sporting experience and far superior weaponry, any counter-offense is expected to be a hinderance at best.

Inspirational! Do continue!

I'd say that the Iroquois are toast...

I'd say that the Iroquois are toast...

As the next update proves: Ohhhh yeah.

== 420 BC ===

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany425BCAustriaDestroyed.jpg

As the years after 430 BC go by, Mongols conquer and annex the last bastion of the Siberian Hapsburgs - Tuzla. While the Kaiser publicly mourns the loss of his cousins in the post-conquest slaughter, he is actually glad - there is now no longer a dispute as to who the throne of Austria belongs to.

---

Pirate Ships in the Mediterranean do their worst - they chop Carthage's cities up by reducing their garrisons and destroying the roads connecting them. The extensive damage will aid us when we finally attack them.

---

On Crete, ships do the same thing - reducing the Cretian garrison to only 400 men. Shrines, temples, cathedrals, libraries, universities, marketplaces and courts of law are leveled as well. 1/6 of the population is killed by artillery. Crete quickly became synonymous with "hellhole". Bodies littered the streets, rubble complimenting it, famine and disease threatened to carry thousands more away to Hades, and the roads were being painted a fine red.

Our soldiers attack. 200 Knights are killed while taking out 100 defenders. A band of 400 musketmen then killed 100 Hoplites, not losing a single man. Only one hundred men remain in the defenses. Germany's conquest of the island is almost assured - but until then, we reserve the Eastern third of the island to ourselves.

---

The siege of Oneida occured, with Pirates reducing a band of 1200 defenders to a mere 300. Our force of 2400 musketmen and knights advanced. The defenders fared very well, losing only 200 spearmen while killing 400 Teutonic Knights. Musketmen then opened fire on the small band of tribal warriors. No musketmen were lost, leaving us with a full force of 1200 to defend our newly captured posession. The Iroquois had realised their grave error in judgement.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany420BCOneidaCaptured.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany420BCShipsontheway.jpg

With Oneida's fall, more supplies were shipped over from Europe, and the Oneida garrison expected them to arrive within 2 decades. They had 3,000 knights and 800 musketmen with them. Once they arrived, we intended to attack the Iroquois capital at Seneca, and burn it to the ground.

--

Hiawatha's successor was before the council of Elders, which now lacked one from Oneida. But he was quiet, as were the elders themselves, all seated before him. Indeed, he was hanging from a rope, swaying somewhat from side to side. Hiawatha's arrogance had been inherited by the Great Chief after him, and the elders punished him accordingly.

As villified as the Germans were, their method of execution by using the body's own weight to snap the neck was quite useful. For every city lost, the current Great Chief would be executed. That was the new policy of the Iroquois government.

A man strode in, taking the stage as two guards cut the ropes on the ex-chief and dragged his lifeless body away. His name was Mighty Fist, and he was appointed to be the new commander-in-chief of the Iroquois forces. Delivering the standard inauguration speech, he was tattooed on the face by the Great Shaman of the Iroquois shortly aftrwards. Mighty Fist promised to bring the army back from New Brunswick, and use it's full force to drive the Germans from the Iroquois people's lands.

1,600 spearmen, 1600 archers, and 400 warriors were all within striking distance of Oneida. They were confident their numbers could defeat the "magic" the Germans had used to defeat the city's warriors.

--

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany420BCIstanbul.jpg

On a peaceful note, we rebuilt Constantinople in 420 BC. However, to fill the ranks of the city's labor force, we recruited large numbers of local Turks. To commemorate them, we named the city "Istanbul".

--

But back to the interesting front - war. In the Ukraine, we attack Sevestopol once more. An army that once had 6200 men is now down to 3800. The irony is the same technique Germany has used in it's campaigns - Sevestopol's navy bombarded them to kill the men by the thousands. But that navy is about to find the Black Sea a hostile place.

We lost five hundred men while killing 700 Hoplites. The army then advanced once more. 1200 Germans gave their lives so as to crush 700 more Hoplites. In the aftermath, our badly wounded armies head back to Romania to heal up, and once they are done...we will destroy the last bastion of Greece on continental Europe - Rostov.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany420BCSevestCaptured.jpg

--

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany420BCWaronIros.jpg

In the Western Theater, we decide to mix things up...via military alliances against the Iroquois. While the Aztecs and Inca are too far away, it will divert Iroquois resources and also prevent them from finding haven anywhere in the Americas. As a bonus, it also makes the Aztecs and Inca - who once hated us - become very receptive to German gestures.

Nicely done! You are quite frequent with updates!

Nicely done! You are quite frequent with updates!

You can thank the fact my school is pretty much out two weeks from now. :)

== 410 BC ==

While our garrisons in Newfoundland suffered great damage, shocking news came in:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/415BCIsraeliTraitors.jpg

Israel betrayed Germany and signed a peace treaty with Greece halfway through the agreement! We made a note to teach the monotheists a lesson.

-- Battle of Newfoundland --

In 410 BC, Germany's fleets were just outside Newfoundland. Asian Pirates and European Pirates led the charge, with small-scale Privateers and more large warships following behind. The goal of the fleet? Crush the Greek ships harassing Leipzig, and finally break Greece's naval back.

The crew of the Greek Pirates numbered 140 men - it had been reduced from 190 through extensive shelling. The Asian ship, on the other hand, had 600 men aboard. Such was their size and capacity.

Amazingly, the Asian fleet was nearly destroyed - it lost 94 percent of it's crew in the battle. The ship was then put under the protection of some support vessels, and it would go to the port of Leipzig - which was now once again open.

-- Battle of the Western Atlantic --

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany410BCNavalBattle.jpg

Young Greek seamen were awoken by the sound of cannons firing. "All men on board! All hands on deck!" the ship's commanders shouted.

When they reached the surface of the vessel, they saw they were being besieged by a Pirate force of 360 men. By comparison, they had 160 men...and shrinking as cannons unloaded onto the vessel. By the time the saturation had ended and the main attack force approached, only 100 men remained in fighting condition. They prepared for the worst. Before being defeated, they managed to put 90 of the enemy ship's men out of commission. It too set sail for Leipzig as the burning remnants of the opposing vessel sank into the sea.

-- Battle of the Canary Islands --

Citizens of the Canary Islands were awoken as the cold chill of morning came through. But it was not the cold - but the sound of gunshots. They all scrambled into the streets, and they were shaken by what they saw - GERMAN TROOPS!

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/410BCCanaryIslands.jpg

1800 Knights and 3,400 musketmen were on the Eastern half of the island, burning and pillaging all they could find. As they neared the capital of the islands, an Asian Pirate Fleet of 750 seamen was raining hellfire down upon them, and smaller-scale Privateers were blowing up fishermen's boats and lighting whole settlements on fire. The end of the islands' Despotate had arrived. 1400 of the city's 1900 spearmen were killed by the ships' gunfire. A small band of 300 swordsmen then took up the defense. One hundred of them were killed by a blast from Privateers, while another band of 300 raised it's swords to fight. And then, they were panicked at the sight of 600 Teutonic Knights.

Despite being outnumbered, the swordsmen fight valiantly - killing 500 Knights and losing only 100 of their own. More Knights approached to fight the spearmen who had taken up arms. 200 of them died killing 200 spearmen. The defenders were far better equipped then those of the motherland!

100 more died killing 200 spearmen. Swordsmen once again took up the defense. They were cut down by a band of musketmen. One hundred Knights gave their lives to slaughter 200 swordsmen.

A band of 400 archers then made itself known. The defenders showed no sign of quitting! 300 musketmen died killing the archers. More musketmen reached the frontline, tiring of the nonstop conflict. They did not lose a single man as they executed 100 spearmen. 200 more musketmen added to the bodies while killing one hundred spearmen. With two hundred more brave Germans lost...

With the Canaries taken, Germany was now able to send ships down the coast of Africa far more securely! Citizens in Cape Verde applauded the conquest. Captured soldiers were worked to death building a harbor, and while they did not get far, they helped greatly reduce the expenses of paid workers. At the cost of a great sum of gold, it was predicted that the islands would soon sport a modern harbor within 10 years, linking them to the heart of the empire.

--

Carthage's lands suffer more bombardment, causing all roads between cities to be destroyed. Hundreds upon hundreds of soldiers are killed by our hired pirates, and we also begin attacking their fishermen - causing malnutrition and starvation. Carthage's position is greatly weakened as a result.

-- Battle of Cydonia --

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany410BCCreteConquest.jpg

Germany resumed it's aggressive policies in Crete in the year 410 BC. Our troops arrived from both the east and western ends of the island to find Cydonia in riots! The King had finally been overthrown, executed. He was beheaded and disemboweled publicly for the constant ineffectiveness of the monarchy. Now the island was torn between Republican movements and Generals who desired a military dictatorship. We took advantage of the chaos, and our ships opened fire on the Hoplite forces.

400 of the 600 man garrison was wiped out, and we continued bombardment to destroy the population, which would likely be unreceptive to both foreigners AND a monarchy. When the shelling finally ended...only 10 percent of the population was left alive. Germany had committed near-genocide against the people of Crete.

600 musketmen advanced, losing 200 to kill 100 Hoplites. Another 100 musketmen were killed...and after that, Germany had taken the city of Cydonia. With that, Crete was conquered, and a direct water route to Egypt established. Our control of the Mediterranean stimulated trade, and immigration with government funds would soon revive the decaying towns of Crete.

-- First Battle of Rostov --

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany410BCRostov.jpg

Germany besieged the city of Rostov in the very east of Greek Ukraine. The constitutional monarchy there was exceptionally strong, having resisted centuries of attempts by Russia and Turkistan to conquer it. We reduced it's mighty garrison of nearly 5,000 skilled Hoplites to a mere 500. We lacked the force necessary to conquer the city, so we set up camp nearby.

-- Battle of Iceland --

The war with the Vikings drew to a close in 410 BC. After so many millenia of bitter on-and-off war and rivalry, German forces had arrived in Iceland. Once considered impenetrable by the Vikings, it's small garrisons now faced the might of German armies.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany410BCNarvik.jpg

The city of Narvik's small garrison of 600 men had been reduced to a mere 200, composed of spearmen and warriors. German muskets would prove a great challenge to the northern tribes. We lost not a single man that day, and the city soon fell into Germany's grasp.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany410BCNarvikTaken.jpg

We now had a base in the North Atlantic, we were slowly forming a "ring" around the great ocean.

--- The Cooling and Warming of European Diplomacy ---

As the title implies, relations in Europe greatly changed in this period. Germany's empire was starting to absorb a new philosophy of racial and cultural superiority. This infusion of new ideas - Eurocentrism - preached that Europeans were the most fit race and ordained by the divine to rule the world. Oddly enough, it did not preach German superiority...to do so would be suicide, as quite a bit of the population was foreign. The doctrine followed by the Reich was modified so as to say Germans were not superior, but had simply been chosen for unknown circumstances to unite Europe under it's banner.

There were negative reactions across the board. Relations started to deteriorate, although China and India remained very friendly - China had a similar policy that non-Chinese were barbarians. Carthage and Turkistan were the hardest hit by this new ideology, as this meant their lands were threatened in the long-term by Eurocentric policies. What little was left of the Greek imperium also hated us for natural reasons. Russians and the British quickly started to amass defenses, as they knew the Germans would eventually come with the hope of conquest.

The main negatives occurred navally. With the destruction of Greek fleets, sailors from the third powers - Carthage, Russia and Britain - were able to venture out once more. Germany sought to maintain a monopoly on the New World, and so it chose to attack Britain's shipping. Needless to say, their Despot was not pleased.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany409BCAttackEnglish.jpg

3 bands of British war galleys were sunk, and the British had a great deal of evidence saying we were behind it - tarnishing our relations. However, several of the sunk sailors agreed to become German privateers - two out of every three.

-- Pax Germanica? --

With the practical destruction of the Scandinavians and Iberians, we moved to find their strongest leaders to act as delegates to a peace treaty signing.

The treaty of Rome invited both powers to the said city, to discuss peace terms...

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany409BCSpainTreaty.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany409BCVikingsTreaty.jpg

Iberia yielded to us the colony of Santa Cruz far to the east in Siberia. We also recieved the by far more coveted Azores. The Scandinavians did not have much to give us, but Germany now had expanded it's operations further without firing more shots, and we'd also made the world more stable.

That concludes 410 BC. Now on to the inbetween years, where the Second Battle of Oneida waits!

=== 400 BC ===

Greece and Mongolia signed a peace treaty this year. We made a plan to destroy them.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany405BCIroDiplomacy.jpg

What a surprise! The Iroquois came to us under their leader "Gentle Bear." They proposed peace, but as we had signed an alliance, and we desired to put them in their place...we were unable to comply.

Another suprise! A leader, Rudolf von Oneida, emerged during the Second Battle of Oneida. It was interesting to see how the battle would turn out.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany405BCLeaderOneida.jpg

Despite their valiance, the city fell. Rudolf was among the dead. However, the 1200 musketmen had managed to kill at least 3,000 Iroquois archers before dying, while the defending knights killed a thousand themselves. And an even larger strike force was approaching from the south...

-- Second Battle of Rostov ---

600 men had been slain in the Kingdom of Rostov. The center of the kingdom, the city for which it was named, was under fire from German ships. Outside it's gates, hordes of knights and swordsmen stood ready. They would finally drive the Greeks from Continental Europe.

400 Germans proceeded to give their lives destroying 600 Hoplites. The same force then rushed in again, against 500 Hoplites. Anothe 400 Germanic swordsmen died. The honors of taking the city fell on the hands of the Knights. While it took the lives of 600 Knights, the remaining garrison of 300 Hoplites were slaughtered, and the last Greek remnants on continental Europe were gone.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany400BCRostovTaken.jpg

Another 900 Germans had to die when we disposed of the last Hoplites roaming the plains of Ukraine. The Greeks had been eliminated.

-- The Diadochi States --

The diadochi - or successor - states of Greece still loomed at large. While the monarchy had been disposed of, and it's empire gobbled up by generals or peasants, there were still Greek city-states and kingdoms around. There were 3: Pharsalos on Newfoundland, the kingdom of Kongopolis in the Congo river region in Africa, and the Kingdom of Cyprus. Greek Siberia had been annexed by the Chinese Empire.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany400BCCyprusSiege.jpg

The Kingdom of Cyprus was primarily based in the city of Nicosia on the island. Thanks to it's central location, it remained a haven for Greek refugees and profited from some medium of trade - though most trade had ceased due to war. 2500 soldiers of the island's army were killed by German shelling, while ships took up position around it, repeating the same tactics used on Crete. Fishermen were shot out of the sea, and starvation began to take it's toll.

We also destroyed the navy of Newfoundland, and hordes of German ships were nearing the port, while longbowmen approached from the south...our hope was to evict the Greeks from the New World.

-- The Deustch Kriegsmarine --

The Deutsch Kriegsmarine, or German War Navy, was established by order of the Kaiser in the year 402 BC. Using the international symbol DKM on it's hull, all new ships of the German navy were automatically assigned to the DKM. Hired Pirated did something different - they raised a flag with DKM on it when standard German ships approached.

The first vessel of the Kriegsmarine, was the DKM Imperium.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany400BCImperiumSetsSail.jpg

Named after the Roman term for the government and military power, the Imperium was assigned the task of carrying massive loads of laborers, musketmen, and pioneers to the Caribbean region. The hope was to establish a large colonial base there, and thus allow Germany new oppurtunities to strike at the Iroquois. The journey was estimated to take half a century, which is the main reason why the large Asian-designed vessel was a self-sufficient settlement, capable of producing it's own food through built in gardens. The Imperium set sail from Brest once the Kaiser gave a speech, and the European people soon imagined the large colonies they'd enjoy on the other side of the globe.

-- Third Battle of Oneida --

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany400BCOneida.jpg

Once again Oneida faced the might of Europeans. But it was to be a tough battle - 3,000 German Knights were to face THIRTY EIGHT THOUSAND Iroquois troops, a mix of tribal warriors, archers and spearmen. Luckily, Germany had a large fleet of Pirate Ships to aid it. The troops directly inside Oneida were cut down by constant gunfire from our ships. 2,200 of the Iroquois fell, while only about 300 Knights were lost. Once again, German occupation was imposed on the city.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany400BCOneidaCapturedAGAIN.jpg

3,400 more Iroquois troops were killed by our ships which moved inland. The small force we had sent was becoming a great thorn in the side of the Iroquois army, which had lost 1/7 of it's attack power. However, the loss was displaced by the fact we found 3,200 Iroquois soldiers a bit further south. This was was going to be a challenge.

The Next Updates will be soon. Both of them will be rather short - for some reason, besides a few conquests, not much occurred in the decades after 400 BC.

I do have 2 or 3 more updates already finished...I just need to put the image tags on them. :P The reason I'm postponing them is not only do I like some feedback(though that's hard to come across on Civ 3, everyone's flocked to 4...) but as well, the reason I go one turn at a time with logs is to ensure fast reports, AND to take up less space for those with crappier internet connections.

As soon as I get one or two replies, I will post more logs, and you can watch us vaporise Israel. ^__^

Good updates.

=== 390 BC ===

And now the year 390 BC. Despite their best efforts, our soldiers at Oneida are defeated once again: BY BANDS OF WARRIORS! We make a note to start using more musketmen for the conflict.

Also in the New World, we assault the city-state of Pharsalos in Newfoundland. Boasting 2100 Hoplite defenders, we did not expect an easy conquest. Luckily, our newly-arrived fleets bombarded them ruthlessly. The artillery barrages left only 300 men standing, while half the population of colonists were killed. Longbowmen led the charge, losing 300 men while killing 100 Greeks. With 200 left, the city was bound to fall very soon.

---

The Greek Diadochi came under fire in Cyprus, and the garrison of several thousand was once again reduced to 300. Continued bombardment killed 40% of the island's residents, while destroying it's temples, courthouses, military bases, and it's beautiful cathedral. So devestating was the German assault, that even the harbor was destroyed as it's docks burned and sunken sea vessels blocked the sea lanes. A force of 1700 musketmen advanced. 200 died, then none as 2 Hoplite bands were destroyed.

From the demise of these bands, we gained a great soldier - Barbarossa! His leadership skills proved valuable in the infiltration and destruction of the Cypriots. We shipped him back to the motherland for protection and ceremonies.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany390BCCyprusTaken.jpg

Without losing any more men, we crushed the last batallions of Hoplites. Cyprus was ours! With the fall of the last Greek bastion in Europe, our internal security was greatly increased. Our navy could now focus on better targets, and Barbarossa would soon found the Knights Templar. Where were we going next? We planned to make a 'pilgrimage' to Jerusalem...

---

Besides some routine naval maneuvers and the destruction of the last Greek Pirates in Europe, not much else occurs.

=== 380 BC ===

EGYPT signs a premature peace treaty with Greece within a decade. They are far too powerful to be swept away, so we simply write down to screw them over at a later date. Though we don't blame them...besides the Congo, there isn't much Egypt can conquer, and the Congo is far too isolated and well-defended in order to be taken. Leave it to the Arabs.

--- Second Battle of Pharsalos ---

It was cold that morning, outside the small colony of Pharsalos. The citizens here were war-weary, but they placed their future in the hands of Greek Hoplites. They were still among the best defenders of the world, even in the face of muskets and powerful knights. While German-held Leipzig to the south was 8x larger in population, controlled most of the island, and boasted a good level of development, the city waned in importance.

But this was to change. That day, bomb shells hit the city, killing some innocent colonists and reducing a 600 man garrison to 200. Split between two divisions, the battalions prepared for the worst - Teutonic Knights were outside the gates, fresh from Europe. Only 100 died killing half the Hoplites. Longbowmen then lit their arrows aflame, and opened fire. They too lost only one hundred men killing the remaining Hoplites. Civilians were rounded up and their names taken in a colony-wide census.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany380BCNewfoundlandGerman.jpg

Pharsalos was now in German hands. The rivalry and wars between the two colonies of Newfoundland had finally ceased. As well, the last Greek-commissioned ships were gone. Rule of the North Atlantic had formally transferred to Germany, and our colonial ambitions would soon yield the Central and Southern portions.

With Newfoundland now completely German, we could focus our full attention on the warmongering hordes to the South. Luckily, we anticipated Inca-Aztec forces to arrive at the gates of the Iroquois lands very soon, and we hoped it would occupy the Iroquois's time.

--- German - Israeli War ---

The time had come to eliminate the traitors. The Israelites had promised to align with us to defeat the Greeks, but backed out shortly upon doubling their population and territory with the siezure of Antioch. A massive army of Knights neared the border.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany380BCIsrael-GermanWar.jpg

A messenger was sent to their religious tyrants, the High Council of Jerusalem. On arrival they called us barbarians - that was the last straw. War for the Holy Land commenced. Besides Egypt, nobody seemed concerned about the invasion - perhaps Egypt was afraid we'd use it as a launchpad against them? Well, they were correct.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany380BCIsraelCampaign.jpg

Our vast fleet sailed along the coasts of the Near East, bombing Antioch first. Of the 4,000 men there, 1200 were killed by artillery fire. More Pirates sailed in, killing more and more soldiers and peasants who fled. This did not help the fact that foolish Israelite socio-economic policies had caused the city's population to drop by nearly 25 percent from it's pre-conquest state. Then, a massive band of 7200 Teutonic Knights, united into a single legion, approached from the mountains. No Germans died while 400 bowmen of the Israelite Army were slaughtered. The city was doomed to fall.

Very nice updates. :):):):)

Finally you end the Greek wars!

Finally you end the Greek wars!

Yup, now to start the Crusades! :nuke: :evil: :nuke:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany380BCWorld.png

Changes:

-The Inca have founded a strain of two new cities. They seem to be doing a smart move - settling towards the Atlantic. We'll be sure to "relieve" them of such burdensome colonies once we get to establishing German Brazil in a few turns.

-China has constructed a new colony on New Guinea(large island north of Australia), along with the Indonesians and India.

-All formerly Greek colonies besides the Congo have been absorbed by Germany or other powers. The Greek Congo actually has built two more cities - connecting it to the sea. We'll cover that once our African expeditions begin.

-We keep losing Oneida on the Atlantic Seaboard...we've chosen to leave it alone until we acquire Templar Knights (6 attack, 3 defense, 3 movement points, 3 bonus HP, and blitz/amphibious ability) from the conquest of Jerusalem.

The First Reich is nearly ready to transition into the Second Reich - the German Overseas Empire. Before we can do so, we have several objectives we must achieve, and several we aim to achieve afterwards.

-Operation Zion: Conquer Israel to acquire Templar Knights. Antioch is expected to fall by 370 or 360 BC. Jerusalem will be cake after that, thanks to rights of passage with the Arabs.


-Operation Trail of Tears: Using newly acquired Templars in conjunction with our powerful Asian ships, we will conquer the Iroquouis homeland, and destroy the 4 cities of it's core, such as the capital, Seneca. We must make the Iroquois BLEED, SWEAT AND CRY before we allow them to even consider a peace with Germany. Razing a European colony is the ultimate offense!

-Operation Sea Lion: Once our hold on North America is secure for colonisation, we will attack Britain. While they are our Anglo-Saxon brethren, it is time they join the European Empire - by force. Given their coastal positions and the lethality of our ships, most of their roads and units will be redlined. Large numbers of Templars aboard ships will then devour the British realm. We will attack Greenland first thanks to it's isolation.

-Operation Barbarossa: This campaign will unite continental Europe under one dark blue banner. We shall attack Russia using Templars, who shall easily destroy their pikemen. We'll also bring our musketmen along to hold off Russian Knights. Once Ukraine falls, their iron is gone. Once St. Petersburg falls, their naval power is gone. Once Moscow falls, Russia is doomed. We will conquer every city west of the Ural Mountains - NO exceptions.

-Operation Mare Nostrum: The time to turn the Mediterranean into a German Lake is now. Once we have united Europe, we must claim our birthright. Europeans will be carried to the distant reaches of this ancient, rich sea. The many ports of Carthage will let our navy grow rapidly. The rich fields and huge urban centers of Egypt will be ours. Their Great Library and Pyramids will aid our research and population. Egypt also now is the new Greece - they sport a large empire, and have over 20,000 gold. We anticipate the fruits of the German-Egyptian War.

=== Miscellaneous Objectives ===

German Caribbia: The Caribbean Sea will soon see the massive efforts of 4 Settlers, 4 musketmen, and 4 workers. We intend to rid the region of natives, and then settle Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and the outlying islands such as the Lesser Antilles and Puerto Rico. The result? German control of the Central Atlantic, and a great base to launch invasions of the mainland - Natives can't build ships until the discovery of Astronomy! It will also supply us with fruit to keep our people happy(er).

German Brasilia: The time for a bastion on this large, souther land has come. We shall settle on the northern coast of South America, and work our way inland. The Incas are away on campaign, and it is so distant from their nation it should be secure until we can ship in more musketmen.

German Africa: We will soon be establishing bastions in South Africa, 3 are planned, the first will be just south of the vast deserts, on a river delta. We intend to make the Greek Congo turn over all cities besides their capital as treaty terms. This will give us a headstart against Egypt and Arabia - 3 large, purely German settlements!

German Australia: Not likely to surface anytime soon. Once we secure ourselves in South Africa, we intend to send a ship to the Southwest parts of Australia, and to Tasmania. This will give us a nice naval base and further virgin land for expansion.

Very detailed plans. I like the names of the objectives. I like the names Barbarossa and Sea Lion for the historical references. Very nice. :goodjob:

Alright, it's been a while since a full-fledged update, but do not despair! This week is the last week of actual schoolwork for practically all my classes(since all work is due by May 23) so you can expect updates soon!

I also have a hundred comics to read, one for each assignment completed, so you can rest assured that I'll be updating soon. =) For what to expect next update - take a look at the above post "Let's Make a Warpath!"

Well, took a while, but I've finally killed the schoolwork! Expect an update within the next minute! (Using this as filler to reach the next page, saving space for those with slower connections)

=== 370 BC ===

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany375BCCorsicaDefects.jpg

The year 370 BC brings great news! As if a retribution for the defection of Tangier back to Carthage, the island of Corsica defects to the German Reich! Our Mediterranean position is far more secure. Apparently the citizens hated their government so much they were willing to give German rule a try instead.

Indeed, 5/7 citizens in Corsica were tax collectors! We abolish the rigid, oppressive taxation system so that only the head tax is paid. We are rewarded with cheers from all over the island, who even sing the German anthem!

-- Operation: Zion Ambition (Kudos to anyone who can tell where that title is from!) --

Following the defection of Corsica to the greater country of Germany, our move against the Israelites continued during the Levantine War. The Israelites were primitive, but their religion motivated them to fight to the death.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany370BCLevantWar.jpg

We'll first look at the campaign in the South. 800 German musketmen had been dropped behind enemy lines to attack Jerusalem proper. The enemy did not notice, and sent troops through Arabic territory towards Antioch. This left spearmen - who were even worse then bowmen - to defend the holy capital of Monotheism. 2700 soldiers total protected the city. Within minutes, they were cut down to 7 contingents of 100 men. Our musketmen advanced against the fools who dared call Europeans barbaric.

Only 100 musketmen died while killing 200 bowmen. Our forces further north then pressed on against Antioch. Shelling from offshore vessels killed 1500 men, and it was estimated that a mere 600 or so was all that was left to defend it. 400 Israelite bowmen were massacred without any losses on the part of the Teutonic Knights.

From the battle of Antioch, we gained a new military leader! He was shipped back to the homelands, where he would befriend General Barbarossa shortly before his demise.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany370BCAntiochFalls.jpg

Only 200 Teutons gave their lives before Antioch fell into German hands, giving us a gateway into the Middle East. Of course, Antioch was still resistant - the majority of citizens were Greek in ancestry, and so they opposed us just as much as Israelites did. Luckily, most citizens were pacified once we abolished all added taxes besides the head tax.

--

Subsequent bombings of Jerusalem destroyed it's holy, sacred temple. This further angered the Jewish people to fight against us. The army base was also destroyed, and 40% of the people in the city were killed or incapacitated. The Israelites found it harder and harder to find new manpower to draw on. The arrival of 1,000 more Knights and 1,000 more musketmen from Crete only made their situation worse.

--

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany370BCPIRATES.jpg

Our fleets who were heading south came across a shocking discovery: ASIAN PIRATE SHIPS! This indicated they were likely of Indian origin, possibly Indonesian. Having just come around the Cape of Africa, we still believed it would be possible to land in South Africa, but this new development complicated the delicate colonisation effort.

Fantastic story! Please keep it coming! :D

/\
Terrific. Keep it flowing!

Dude as a history buff (specializing in the 20th century bloodbath called WW2) I find your story while(I guess to some contraversial) very entertaining. It is after all fiction ...right?? Remember all. one can never understand man,s inhumanity to man.

But still an awesome story. Try and save the brits for last there my fav and I don,t think they can do much to you any how

Dude as a history buff (specializing in the 20th century bloodbath called WW2) I find your story while(I guess to some contraversial) very entertaining. It is after all fiction ...right?? Remember all. one can never understand man,s inhumanity to man.

Yes yes, I'm all too aware how I like to play with fire...guess it's just in my nature. I've used most of the terms that are commonly related to Nazism(Fuhrer, Recih and the like), but I'm simply using them in their true meaning. The reason I use the name Adolf/Adolphus(WAY BACK) was not to ignite controversy, but just make the point that it was once a popular name.

Granted though, I should've watched my mouth with the term "Polish question", given it's similarity to "Jewish question". Though the "Polish Question" was really how the heck Germany could turn the tide against a small - but numerically powerful - country like Poland.

Anywho, thank you for reviewing. :) I'm glad most of my comments have been positive, even if to some it seems like I'm promoting Nazism.

But still an awesome story. Try and save the brits for last there my fav and I don,t think they can do much to you any how

Hmm, well, regarding the British "empire" (they only have a small colony on the tip of Greenland...and my ships are making short work of any vessel heading away from it or England...), I'll conquer them very soon likely. Since each wonder gives one happy face in all cities this game, Shakespeare's Theater and Newton's University would go a long way, in addition to their wealthy benefits(tourism). Now that we have Templar Knights, we're arming ourselves for the showdown with Asia(China n India). We need to get ourselves an edge in wealth and size via colonies and conquest.

So Britain will likely be the first to be plucked once our agreements expire in about 5 turns. Their cities, wonders and naval bases will be excellent, combined with the huge size and population reserves of Russia. Then the stage will be set for a push against Africa and the Middle East. Germany's got a while to go before it can tackle East Asia(Warrior Monks have defense values of 8, attack of 4, AND are amphibious. They also got military tradition likely, so their cavalry can match our Templars in battle.). Luckily, Templar Knights have the same stats as cavalry, +4 more health, and are also 50 shields to build. They can also attack amphibiously, so I won't be challenging China and India in the tech race soon. (Yay for Egypt, that means Alexandria will be protected from my wrath...Great Library works for all ages in this game)

Dang, long post. Well, to sum it all up, I will need to conquer Britain soon to tackle the Great Powers of the East when they finally do attack eachother and give me an oppurtunity to crush them. (Conquer weak powers then strong ones, as the well-known strategy goes)

=== 360 BC ===

China and Greece signed a peace treaty in 361 BC. A few months later, a small band of German Privateers and a fleet of European Pirate Ships was also sunk. An Asian Pirate ship that was watching the battle reported more Asian Pirate Ships moving by. The time for a naval race had begun.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany360BCChinaAttacks.jpg

Our diplomats found that their accomodations in Songhai and China had greatly declined in quality. The latter information let us know that the Chinese had sent the fleet that assaulted us in the South Atlantic. While we were originally against India, focus quickly went against China.

Without losing any men, we destroyed the weakened assault fleet. Fast scout ships were sent to Europe to prepare a defensive fleet to rebuff the expected Chinese incursion - the Atlantic was GERMANY's ocean, and Germany's alone!

--- Levantine Campaign ---

Our attack on Israel had continued without any luck for the Hebrews. A band of bowmen killed 300 musketmen, but were defeated themselves. This inspired 200 local natives to join the musketmen division. 1,000 men were slaughtered in Jerusalem, leaving an estimated force of 500-600 men. Bombardment continued, with the hopes of destroying most of the population. 1/6 of the population was all that was left after the smoke finally cleared - even though there were still German ships ready to bombard. But the smoke would soon emerge anew from an even scarier weapon - muskets.

Several squadrons attacked, and 200 Germans died killing 300 of the Hebrew bowmen. Another 100 dead German troops was all it took to eliminate the remaining 200 Hebrew defenders. With that, Germany was able to declare the city safely under German occupation.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany360BCJerusalemFalls.jpg

--- Knights Templar ---

The aging General Barbarossa had been the one to lead the war against Israel. When he took Jerusalem, he sought to appropriate religious fanaticism for German purposes. His forces held the population at gunpoint, and forced the priests to unveil many of their secrets. After that, they were forced to kneel before the General, and gave him an artifact known as the Holy Grail to honor him.

Barbarossa held an audience with the Kaiser immediately afterwards. They discussed the founding of something to replace the old Teutonic Order. While the Teutons were definitely useful, even they had been defeated by hordes of Hoplites many times. A newer, stronger, more devout force was needed.

At an assembly sometime later, the Kaiser, Barbarossa, and the High Priest of Mars(the Roman god of war) were all standing on a stage and addressing the assembly. It was composed of representatives from religions and ethnicities the empire over, in addition to military officers.

"My fellow Europeans! I call you here to approve the greatest social upheaval since the founding of the Teutonic Order!" the Kaiser shouted. "Fresh from our conquests in the Levant, we have been enlightened about the arts of religious fanaticism. With the approval of religious leaders, we wish to replace the Teutonic force with a new one - the Knights of the Temple, or Knights Templar!"

Many of the religious leaders nodded, a few of the more pacifistic ones shaking their heads.

"And to lead this new organisation? I have designated none other then our fine General Barbarossa, the hero of the Levantine War! Who was able to convince the Jews to hand over one of their most sacred relics!" The Kaiser held up the Holy Grail while motioning to Barbarossa. Military leaders cheered, as they were very fond of Barbarossa. "With this new organisation's founding, we will have the zeal necessary to conquer the rich lands of Egypt, Arabia, Russia and beyond! The Templar Knights will conquer everything from the Atlantic to the Pacific Rim! All I ask for, is your approval in the formation of such a religious force!"

"All in favor, say aye!" the Kaiser said as he extended his hand.

"AYE! God wills it! Aye! God wills it!" the crowd erupted in near-universal cheers. The Knights Templar was founded shortly thereafter. Barbarossa would lead it in it's infant years until his demise. The Teutonic Order remained a force, but became restricted to policing, special operations, and bodyguard duty for designated people. The Templar Order would conquer the world for Germany. Trained in chivalry, religious zeal, and tactics such as amphibious assault, they were to be the greatest invention of Europe for centuries to come.

--- The Last Teutonic Assault ---

The Teutons had yet to be fully decommissioned, and the large bands in the East were sent to destroy the Last Israel fortress of Elat. A small city with hardly any power, it was instrumental to the security of our position in Israel.

200 Teutons died killing 400 bowmen. Another 400 bowmen were killed without any casualties on Europe's side. 400 more died, once again without losses. The Israeli leadership was demoralised, especially without the priesthood to provide energising sermons.

The huge 7200 man Teutonic Army Force struck at Elat, killing 400 bowmen. Alas, the city did not fall. 400 of the most Elite Teutons gave their lives afterwards, and the small village of Elat fell. Israel was no more.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany360BCElatFalls.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany360BCIsraelDestroyed.jpg

---

The Jews were treated with mixed results. While the Reich's policy was to repress religions that were vocally opposed to it's power, some tolerance was allowed for basic worship services. This was because the region lacked much in the way of German or third party population, so we did not want to anger the locals. Radical Hebrews were caught and executed, but the majority of opposition went without consequence. The security of the region came first.

--- The "Jewish Island" ---

Israel earned it's name appropriately. It was known as the Jewish island because to the north, south, and east it was surrouned by a sea of the Arabic empire and it's Egyptian cousin. It was also bordered to the west by the literal sea of the Mediterranean. Cut off from the empire by land, many international spectators watched the region(and the neighboring Transjordan) with interest, wondering if Germany could hold it against something like Arabic aggression.

--- Peaceful Developments ---

The DKM Imperium deposited most of it's human cargo on the islands of the Caribbean in 359 BC. The islands of Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola all saw large migrations of these foreigners. Diseases ravaged the natives, leaving the islands picked clean of any potential resistance. "New Germany" was about to be founded.

A large band of musketmen and settlers, originally bound for the Cape of Good Hope, were marooned a decade ago on an island midway between Africa and South America, in the southern Atlantic. Fed up with waiting, they chose to establish a permanent settlement - St. Helena.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany360BCStHelenaFounded.jpg

St. Helena would soon become a major penal colony for those who dared defy the Reich. Far away from any civilisation and in the middle of the north-south routes in the Atlantic, it was a very strategic position.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany350BCWorld.png

Once again it's time for a world map! I've already played through most of 350 BC, expect that soon. For now, here's the world map.

Key changes:

Germany has established colonies on every Caribbean island but Cuba. Once the culture expands in 5 turns, we will dominate the whole sea. Cuba will be settled next turn.

St. Helena founded in the South Atlantic. We decided to take the choke point rather then lose the cargo en route to South Africa.

Brazil now has a German colony. We're doing our best to fortify it and prevent Incan incursion.

Israel and Jordan have fallen into German hands thanks to the Levantine War against Israel.

--

India and Persia's border is more accurate, and the city of Hormuz has fallen to India, hence why it just into Iran now. We're doing our best to hold up the fort and prevent India from conquering the whole area.

Nice update. Like I said in my China thread, I've been reading this for a while, since before I joined CFC. Good luck with defeating whoever you take on next. :)

Nice update. Like I said in my China thread, I've been reading this for a while, since before I joined CFC. Good luck with defeating whoever you take on next. :)

Our goal is to pwn Carthage. We've been bombing them for some time, and most of their cities are very lightly defended(we can redline all the defenders in a single turn). They have a large strip of 5 cities in North Africa which will be the key to our domination of the Mediterranean trades(we will control all trade flowing into the Atlantic). With amphibious assault capability and fast, large-capacity ships, the Carthaginian Empire's time as a world power is coming to an end. The second and final Punic war begins soon! :)

Great story keep it up

I have been following this story almost from the beginning. I have a few suggestions based on the last world map:
1. Watch out for the Inca. They expand fast. I dunno what their tech situation is, but if they are close to you in tech progress, they pose a threat.
2. Don't underestimate England. I've played on world maps before. Whoever is on England makes a HUGE military because they are on such a tiny island. Beware!
3. Hehe, I think the Middle East needs more dark blue. Israel and Jordan connected with the rest of the empire seems a whole lot more stable than the Arabians cutting them off.
4. Colonies are good. You definitely have done well with that!

Overall, great job on conquering Europe and some Middle Eastern land!:king::goodjob:

I have been following this story almost from the beginning. I have a few suggestions based on the last world map:
1. Watch out for the Inca. They expand fast. I dunno what their tech situation is, but if they are close to you in tech progress, they pose a threat.
2. Don't underestimate England. I've played on world maps before. Whoever is on England makes a HUGE military because they are on such a tiny island. Beware!
3. Hehe, I think the Middle East needs more dark blue. Israel and Jordan connected with the rest of the empire seems a whole lot more stable than the Arabians cutting them off.
4. Colonies are good. You definitely have done well with that!

Overall, great job on conquering Europe and some Middle Eastern land!:king::goodjob:

The Incans are expanding fast indeed. They just discovered map making(hence the settlers), and since construction and currency take 40+ turns at MAX research for the most part, I'm sure they'll get Musketmen once my Conquistadores have formed the Viceroyalty of Peru. ;)

Regarding England, if that's in a normal game, GOD HELP ME here. I trust you see how much force the Iroquois and Poles mustered? The Iroquois outnumbered me like 30x on all our conflicts, so it's no wonder I got my rear end whooped. I just hope Britain goes down easy...luckily, I've ravaged most of Wales and I keep firing bombs into their cities. :) If they're like Carthage(who only have 2 or 3 units in their cities, AMAZING they haven't been overrun.), England SHOULD be cake. I can almost hear Shakespeare's confusing words now...

And yes, colonies are good. When we make peace with Greece, we intend to take over most of their African cities in the treaty. That should give us a front against the Zulu, and enable us to move troops to the Cape soon. We need that naval chokepoint if we're going to keep the Asians in the Pacific/Indian Oceans. Also, anticipate a HUGE burst of expansion in a few turns. Our "Holy Legion", made up of 11 Templar knights(88 HP!) will dock in the New World soon. They'll also be bringing about 20 more Templar Knights for backup. Let's not forget musketmen and cannons! The Iroquois homeland is toast once I make landfall.

Regarding England, if that's in a normal game, GOD HELP ME here. I trust you see how much force the Iroquois and Poles mustered?

It was a scenario on the real world. The Byzantines were on the British Islands (and they're not militaristic). They had pretty big forces amassed. They weren't as big as the Iroquois, but that was an early age. I'd say they're probably very big.

good job- i hope to see some more
w00t! first post

What I suggest is attacking England with superior units, Otherwise, it'll be really hard. Or you could try to culture flip.

By the way, welcome to CFC El Naranja.

What I suggest is attacking England with superior units, Otherwise, it'll be really hard. Or you could try to culture flip.



No issues there, our Templar Knights - cheap and super powerful, able to top cavalry despite the same stats thanks to health and price bonuses - will make short work of the puny spearmen England can muster.
Once we do not repeat Hitler's mistake of leaving Britain open, we'll target Russia on a wide - but mostly secure front. Their pikemen will be able to put up more resistance, but the Russian army and it's large but worthless(like 40 galleys) navy will be sent to Davy Jones' locker.

P.S. to lurkers: I'm sorry if I'm getting your hopes up by posting responses(you might think they're updates). Summer is officially here, so expect an update within 24 hours. =)

C,mon more of the story. Please I have no life. JUst kidding but it,s getting good.

=== 350 BC ===

--- In Between Years ---

Greece and Persia end their conflict this year. Besides large-scale naval skirmishes southeast of St. Helena, there is not much else. Greek Hoplites were seen moving towards both Siberian outposts.

--

The international phase of politics progressed during this ten-year period. Germany examined the Egyptian capital of Memphis - home to the Great Pyramids - and found it defended by a single band of 300 elephants, and hordes of slaves. 1600 Arabic musketmen were outside the city. We anticipated it's fall - Egypt was going to become a vassal of Arabia if no intervention was taken.

Adding to the instability of the Middle East, we looked at the situation along the Indo-Persian border. In the early phases of the war, Persia had burned one of India's cities in the middle of the Indus to the ground. Now faced by hordes of Indian Warrior Monks, Persia was desperate. We chose to intervene, forming a new Azul Wall along the outskirts of Persepolis.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany350BCIndoPersianBorder.jpg

Since the strategic city of Hormuz had recently fallen to the Indians, it was not too long until the great capital of Persia fell as well. We had treaties with them for another hundred years, so until then we could not allow further losses. An enlarged India would not be good for our empire.

We also needed to keep the region secure - the last army of Teutons was being sent to the Far East - against Cambodia.

--- German Caribbean ---

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany350BCCaribbean.jpg

The German Caribbean Empire was established in this year. Kaiserstadt on Jamaica, the Antilles colony on the chain of islands of the same name, and Freidrichsburg on Hispaniola. Scouting parties, laborers, musketmen and pioneers also set food on the island of Cuba. The native tribes - the Arawaks - had heard of the events on the other islands amazingly, and they rallied together to push us out. We introduced them to our ships' guns. 500 of the 5200 Arawak troops were massacred.

--- Brasilia ---

Germany also built it's first colony in Brazil during this period. The German Empire was quickly expanding overseas. A large garrison and priority on military infrastructure was put in place there to ensure Incan aggression could be contained.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany350BCBrazil.jpg

--- War on the Iroquois ---

A band of 8800 Templars - the maximum that would fit in a fleet of Asian Pirate Ships - had been commissioned and designated as the "Western Holy Legion". Loading upon a fleet, they were sent West towards the ancient battleground of Oneida - which had been well-fortified by spearmen. A band of 16,600 more Templars were also following. Cannons and musketmen were being sent from Europe and Africa too. Facing tens of thousands of Germans willing to give their lives for their respective gods and some of the fiercest technology yet, could the Iroquois truely hope to repel Germany once more?

/unlurk

:goodjob: Amazing story (been following for a while).

How much of the Americas will you be settling, and in which order? Also, why do the dates seem so messed up? From what I remember from playing civ III, a few hundred years shift is about normal, but you're still in the BC's :confused:

That's it for now!

/unlurk

:goodjob: Amazing story (been following for a while).

How much of the Americas will you be settling, and in which order? Also, why do the dates seem so messed up? From what I remember from playing civ III, a few hundred years shift is about normal, but you're still in the BC's :confused:

That's it for now!

We've just retaken Oneida. :) Next turn, we'll be deploying huge numbers of troops in North America, where we will conquer and raze the Iroquois core. Once the Iroquois are dealt with, we intend to build up our base in North America. Once we're large enough(and have a wall of cities from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific, blocking expansion of other powers), we'll tackle the Aztecs for Panama. And once the Aztecs are dealt with, the Inca will be destroyed too. We'll have the land and power to take on China and India once we accomplish that.

Regarding years, Teturkhan's Map is supposed to be accurate, but I screwed it up somehow...it starts off in the hundreds, then the 10s, then moves up to 50s for a a few turns, then back down...it fluctuates rapidly. I'd have to check the map to get exact year changes.

Great story, so far. I'm hoping to do one myself, once I get the Final Fantasy mod finished.

=== 340 BC ===

In the in-between years, Greece asks for a peace treaty. We refuse, they retaliate by razing a road outside our Siberian town of Caruna. Um...nice trump card, Alex.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany345BC.jpg

More important is Mongolia declares war on India! This might take some pressure off Persia, but it will still be bad if India expands it's empire.

--- The Return to Oneida ---

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany340BCOneida.jpg

After decades of absence, Germany was poised to attack Oneida again. While for the past few years shelling had stopped - causing people to believe Germany had given up it's ambitions, thus they emptied much of the city's garrison - it quickly resumed. Only a few hundred demoralised troops defended the city after a single month of extensive bombardment. Aboard an offshore vessel were 2400 Templar Knights, all of whom deployed not on the shores outside the city - but against the city itself.

The first wave lost 100 men, killing 3 100-man units of spearmen. People were so impressed with our victory, that the Great German Reich entered a Golden Age!

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany340BCGoldenAge.jpg

German citizens were given greater zeal then ever before, and the Asian powers began to cast a weary eye towards Germany. Another 100 men were lost killing 300 more Iroquois, until the Return was complete:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany340BCOneidaTaken.jpg


--- Campaign Plans ---

Germany was ready to commence "Operation Devestation" as it is now known. Templars were deployed to attack the core cities of the Iroquois Empire - in hopes of vanquishing the giant once and for all. Once the Iroquois fell, Germany could penetrate the North American heartlands at it's leisure.

--- Barbarian Resurgence on Cuba ---

The Arawaks were joined by the Western natives of Cuba, the Ciboney tribe. They mustered a total of 6500 men to destroy our small 600 man band of musketmen. Our artillery reduced the Ciboney from 3900 to 1900 soldiers. Further bombardment of the Arawaks reduced 2600 to 1100. In total, the 6500 man invasion force had been brought down to 3000. With half their men gone, the natives were doomed.

We settled in the center of Cuba, establishing the city of Bonn. Bonn would soon construct a series of canals to allow our ships to pass right through Cuba.

=== 330 BC ===

The Greeks move throughout Siberia in the IBT. They occupy the tile southwest of Caruna, which contains a grassland. However, we have more defenders there - albeit primitive.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany330BCCuba.jpg

More interesting is Cuba. The Ciboney tribe retreats, having lost 2000 of their 3900 soldiers. More Arawaks descend from the mountains, and they muster a total of 3700 hundred troops - short of the 5200 they used to field. Shelling by a fully prepared fleet reduced them to 400 men. 100 of those were slaughtered when Bonn's garrison moved out. The Arawaks were just about extinct.

The 1900 Ciboney were targeted by the fleet south of Cuba. They were reduced to 300. The Cuban Rebellion had been crushed, and a small mop-up operation was all that would be needed.

--- War on the Iroquois ---


Around Oneida, we saw the classic scenario of being vastly outnumbered. 14,400 Iroquois soldiers - half of them archers - were around Oneida. A band of 6800 soldiers was just outside of reach, and would arrive within a decade. Germany planned to use it's superior troops and it's artillery to destroy the Iroquois barbarians.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany330BCOneidaBattle.jpg

2500 Iroquois were killed by artillery fire in the forests around Oneida. Templars advanced immediately to dispatch their forces. At the cost of 400 Templars, we killed 800 Iroquois. 200 Templars killed 1200 more Iroquois archers. We killed 500 more without casualty - producing the Great Leader, Hengest! Hengest formed a small army of 4,000 Templars. This would secure us against retaliation.

100 Templars were lost while killing 300 spearmen. Only 100 archers remained in the forests southwest of Oneida.

-- Siege of Seneca --

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany330BCSeneca.jpg

Seneca was the small yet strategically located capital of the Iroquois confederation. The tribal elders met here every so often to discuss governance of their mostly-stable realm. Each constituent tribe would send one representative. This meant 10 elders - which was reduced to 9 with the fall of Oneida. Seneca itself was threatened by the "Western Holy Legion" in the year 330 BC. This band of 8800 Templar Knights served under one powerful commander. It's duty was to raze the capital of the Iroquois to the ground.

200 Templars were lost while 1100 Iroquois were killed. Warrior bands had to take up the defense, as there were no spearmen left. 400 Warriors were killed without incident, and the capital of the Confederation was no more. The tens of thousands slaughtered - and the troops who died defending them - were honored by a plaque placed at the site after the war.

--

The Iroquois relocated southwards, to their largest city of Cayuga. The Cayuga tribe took this moment to swallow up political power, gaining the spot of Oneida's elder. Cayuga officials started to pack the upper levels of government, which the Confederation resented. Civil War was ready to brew.

The city of Onondoga fell several months after. It boasted a much larger population - 210,000. Each one was massacred in retribution for the losses of German cities in earlier centuries. Children were taken to be raised into the German way - as slaves or soldiers. Cayuga took over Onondoga's position as well - 3 out of 10 seats on the Elder Council.

--- Overview of the War ---

The Iroquois fielded 14,400 troops to retake Oneida. By the end of the decade, that had been reduced to not a single man. They also fielded a support group of 8000 men. This was reduced to 5000 total. In short - the Iroquois went from having a massive army of 22,400 to a mere 5,000. 3/4 of the Iroquois force had been destroyed. The Western Holy Legion alone possessed 8600 soldiers. There were thousands more waiting inside the walls of Oneida.

--- End of the Confederation ---

After several years of Cayuga favoritism and a policy that would create a lower Council based on population - thus giving Cayuga a huge advantage - Civil War broke out in the Iroquois Confederation. Germany's takeover of the center had destroyed the delicate road system that wound through the forests and kept most of the Iroquois unified. The city of Tobacco, in the middle of the Great Lakes, revolted first. Cayuga could not fight with it's demoralised and demolished armies. The Shawano, Tuscarora, and Illinois tribes in the South tried to form a new union, but they had no roads to the rest of the Confederation, much less to eachother. They established independent city-states.

That left Huron, Saul Ste. Marie(which had been founded by mixed pioneers), and Mohawk. They tried to form a confederation, which was met with success in the case of Huron and Mohawk. Saul St. Marie was multi-ethnic, and so formed an independent state - but said that it would join whoever won in the war between the Northern Iroquois(Huron and Mohawk) and the Cayuga.

Inbetween all these new entities, huge tracts of land were swallowed up by minor villages, no longer under the hegemony of a huge, powerful army. All the new Iroquois successor states merged could not compare to the size of the Confederation. Michigan and the East Coast would not be united under a single ruler until Germany conquered the regions later on.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany330BCIroquoisEmpire.jpg

The Iroquois realm had been plunged into pure chaos. Germany had killed several hundred thousand inhabitants, including the elders - and had razed it's capital city. With the capital went the major road link between the north, south and the city of Tobacco. Combined with Cayuga greed, this let a civil war break out. And to make things worse, word reached the ears of some Iroquois that Aztec-Inca coalition forces would soon arrive at the gates of the South.

Alright readers, I would like to let you decide the fate of Cayuga, that city a bit further to the south. Since it's within reach of Oneida and somewhat eclipses Oneida's borders(and potential), we intend to raze it. However, the massacre will cause the death toll of innocent Iroquois civilians to top 1,000,000.

Will you side with the realists, who see such an option as necessary to complete Germany's retribution and finally teach the Iroquois a lesson? Or will you side with the optimists, pacifists and idealists who believe such an action would be senseless slaughter? The fate of the Cayuga people is in your hands.

(Do keep in mind they WERE corrupt and tried to establish a dictatorship over the Confederacy, hence why the Confederacy has dissolved)

You could raze some other city like Tobacco that isn't the capital, then keep Cayuga....

You could raze some other city like Tobacco that isn't the capital, then keep Cayuga....


That is true, but larger cities have a habit of being cumbersome(resistance)...Tobacco is also more desirable because it is 4 spaces away from Oneida(and thus more efficient overall), versus Cayuga being only 2 squares away(and thus a lot of overlap/wasted tiles).

Glad you're still following the First Reich's rise to world domination...(actually, might be the Second Reich now, given the colonial side of things). :)

Well, I still think Cayuga could be valuable. For example, I was once playing as Greece and I took Rome (this was on a map of the real world, start locations correspond with actual civs in history) very early. It wasn't even defended. Pitiful. Anyway, at first, it produced stuff so slow that it was hardly a city. But, it gradually got bigger and is now a fine city in my empire. I think you should keep it.

Keep Cayuga... FWIW, I usually settle (uless the population levels are modded so that you can get above 12 citizens without getting pollution) my cities in a CxxC pattern... That way I can get reinforcements from one city to another faster, as well as pack more cities into a given area (plus, since I always play with my own no-pollution variant, none of my cities ever get above 12 citizens anyways, so having a lot of overlapped tiles doesn't really affect me).....

Well, there are ways to limit the death-toll. You could always capture the city, limit its growth, and eventually make it shrink enough for you to abandon it, or keep it small enough not to matter. In game terms, this would allow the inhabitants to make their way to other cities, and Cayuga loses all significance.

^ Yeah, I've done the "City Liquidation" tactic before, when I captured AI-founded cities that were in inconvenient locations... I just built workers (and MM the city for minimal or 0 growth) until it was down to 2 citizens, then set growth to zero (MM again), and wait for the settler to finish, and choose the "yes we don't want it" option when the abandon city window pops up.

Sherman said it best "War is Hell!" Finish what they started. Tally Ho!

I say capture and sell the citizens into Slavery ;)

=== 320 BC ===

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany325BCAztecTraitors.jpg

This period begins with the Aztecs and Iroquois signing a peace treaty. You can't trust ANY barbarian tribes, it seems.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany320BCAzureWall.jpg

German Teutons also noticed the battles of Nishapur and Herat in Persia. The Persians lost both, and word was sent to abandon Persepolis and retreat to northern Persia and the Caucusus - regions which were easier to maintain, and ones Germany intended to sieze in the future.

And finally, large hordes of Iroquois were seen moving towards Oneida - it seems they had a large reserve to fight back with.

--- Battle of Oneida, 320 BC ---

Once again, Oneida faced Iroquois aggressors. 2400 soldiers lie within reach of the city. Behind it was a force of 31,000 men. The frontal force was cut down to 600 by artillery fire. They were cut down without casualty by Templar Knights.

Oneida was secure once more, but in the coming decade another battle would occur, one that would hopefully end the constant on-and-off sieges.

-- Battle of Cayuga --

The self-righteous, corrupt Cayuga government had to be dealt with. Germany sent some of it's Templars to take the city of the same name. 800 enemy soldiers were slaughtered, while Germany lost 500 Templars. At the cost of another 500 Templars, the garrison was exterminated - and the government officials inside with it. Cayuga, the 'capital' of the Confederation, had fallen into German hands. The divide between North and South widened.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany320BCCayugaTaken.jpg

Germany was NOT happy with what occurred in Cayuga. 2 out of every 3 citizens fought against the German occupation, using guerilla tactics. The Kaiser was informed, and compromised with the more liberal sides of his empire by stating Cayuga was to be burned, but the people were to be notified and forcefully dispersed.

Cayuga was burned within a week, small villages remaining. The majority of the 700,000 people fled - and formed a military force of 51,400 soldiers. Combined with the force nearing Oneida, this was a total of 75,400. The Cayuga people were(hopefully) throwing their whole weight at Germany.

Even though they lacked a city to call home, the Cayuga realised they had to crush Germany if they ever intended to rebuild their ancestral homeland and unity.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany320BCIroInvasion.jpg

---The New Confederation---

With the destruction and pillaging of Cayuga City and the forced dispersion of it's inhabitants, the center of power shifted northwards. Huron to the north was now by far the largest city, rivalling Cayuga in size. It was the capital of the Northern Confederation, which simply called itself the Confederation now. Sault Ste. Marie kept it's word and applied for membership, later becoming a member.

The new Confederation was radically different. Intellectuals had noticed the constant failure of the Elderly Council, and chose to form a new governmental system. The Council was stripped of all power in the new Confederation, but it was kept as an institution of heritage, but lacked any real power. A new ruler with near-absolute power - a Despot - was installed on the European model. Beneath him, a "People's Council" was created. People popularly elected these representatives. They had no real power of their own, but they kept the leader informed of what his subjects believed.

The Confederation of the Iroquois was now a Despotic state which kept the people's interests - on paper at least - at heart. As well, the Confederation was a Confederation only in name - it had a highly centralised and powerful government. If anything, it was more of a unitary state. But the "Confederation" title was kept to keep conservatives and patriots happy - and also present the image of local government.

Tobacco was torn by civil strife. Conservatives wanted to maintain the status quo, and possibly work out a peace with Germany. Radicals desired to join Germany itself, pointing at their excellent standard of living and education. A mixture of patriots and progressives/liberals wished to join the new Confederation, pointing to it's equality among it's members, and the good deal of political voice the people had. After a short civil war lasting about a year, Tobacco joined the Confederation. The Iroquois were reforming, and Germany poised itself to stop the new Confederation from becoming a real power.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany320BCConfederation.jpg

--- Demise of the New Confederation ---

Germany planned to attack the Easternmost city of Mohawk. The Confederation was gaining too much power. Already it's armies had marched against the resurgent local tribes, and it had conquered Michigan. It expanded to the iron rich hills of the west, and gained small chunks of territory in the East and North. Fringe tribes were forced to pay tribute to the powerful rulers in Huron.

600 dead Templars and 800 dead Iroquois spearmen later, Germany had entered the city and occupied it. The Kaiser commissioned a new band of Templars - the Mohawk Legion. Germany also fought against 800 spearmen in the forests a bit further south - and an ENTIRE Templar unit was lost! Hundreds of Templars died in the battle. The thousand or so Templars who died were commemorated with a post-war plaque. In retribution, the Western Holy Legion only lost 100 men when it killed 800 spearmen inside the city of Huron.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany320BCMohawkTaken.jpg

A smaller band of soldiers was sent to take over Huron...and they lost only 100 to kill the remaining 400 men inside. Huron had fallen. With their second city of 700,000 captured, the Iroquois people - regardless of political unit - realised their darkest day was coming.

--

With their impressive speed and maneuverability, Templars advanced on Saul Ste. Marie. 800 spearmen died without German casualties, and the city fell just like the others. Tobacco was shocked at the speed of the conquest. The "glorious" Federation it had just joined had collapsed in less then a year. And the people there knew Germany would turn towards them for their next victim.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany320BCSaulTaken.jpg

--

Saul Ste. Marie's fall gave large quantities of gold and iron to the German Reich in North America. In the coming decades, we would battle it out with the Southern Hordes for mastery of the continent.

=== 320 BC Part 2 ===

Germany had (over?)extended itself in North America. Two capitals had fallen, and two more cities after that. The majority of their population and infrastructure had been appropriated for German useage. But it was at home where the issues lay.

Germany had done it's best to keep up with China, India and Egypt in scientific prowess. Years of war had caused the economy to boom at the expense of research. Now up to near-maximum funding once more, Germany yearned to increase it's income. It was giving hundreds of units of gold per term to other powers for the alliances against Greece. Now that Greece had been eliminated as a threat, Germany sought to re-establish itself as an economic power. It went about ending all allegiances, especially the most expensive.

While relations with Russia soured due to the end of the agreement, Germany did not care - we intended to destroy the only local regional threat once the time was right.

-- German Africa is Founded --

With the end of our vast alliance network, our practical Holy War against the Greek "Empire", we contacted it's successor state - the Greek Congo. A large state centered on the Congo River, it had been established by Greeks during their high period. The Greek Wars had allowed it to become independent under the regional generals, and it now struggled with internal pressures such as underdevelopment. We opened the dialogue immediately, and demanded the turnover of most of their territory. They were stubborn, but they DID possess the regional advantage. We settled for Argos, their coastal settlement. We required more fueling stations in Africa.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany320BCGreeceTreaty.jpg

In the end, the treaty came to control of Argos, 4 bands of slave workers - Egyptian, Arabic, Carthaginian, and even Polish - a world map, all 13 pieces of their gold, and 2 gold per term.

Argos was treated with great honor by the German Kaiser, who visited it personally. He gave out gold by the handful, and also donated to the construction of a local port. German Africa, once a dream of the later Despots, was now a reality.

-- German North Africa, Mare Nostrum, and the Tangite Spirit --

The Carthaginians HATED the Germans. Carthage had once been a great power in Europe and Africa, but Germany had stripped it of half it's lands. In the following years, defections caused the fall of Corsica into the German spear. It's last bastion in all of Europe was Palma on the Balearic Islands off Spain - a possession that would soon be snatched.

The concept of Mare Nostrum - "Our Sea", was an old one from ancient Roman writers. It held the idea that Rome would one day grow to encompass the Adriatic - and later Mediterranean - Sea. Germany picked up on this idea very fast - and marked the weak, waning and decaying Carthaginian state as a target. Control of the Gibraltar would limit Songhai, Egyptian and Arabic naval power. There was also the Tangite spirit - the idea that the citizens of Tangier were prisoners. They were all Germans in culture or birth, and yet somehow the city defected back to Carthage.

Germany had also bombarded Carthage for years with it's large paid Pirate Fleet. Harbors in every city but Casablanca had been blocked with debris and sunken ships, almost all structures had been leveled, and the roads between cities had been all but erased. The Carthaginian state was non-existent in reality - no roads, no harbors. The only thing that kept the far flung city-states together was the idea that someone large like Songhai would devour them if they did not.

But Carthage was weak and powerless...Germany had reduced all it's cities to the lower tens of thousands, and without roads, barracks and effective communications, the Empire was doomed to become German property.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany320BCCarthageEmpire.jpg

--- German - Carthaginian War ---

But such ideas were false. Germany had been softening up Carthage and preparing Templars for a massive invasion for nearly a century. The time was right for Germany's first move.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany320BCCarthageWar.jpg

It was a beautiful day in Carthage. Despite the years of bombardment, people went about their normal lives. Their government may have been a bit tight, and the Pirates fiercely defiant, but overall, Carthaginians were happy. Until the day they saw Numidians marching by the hundreds to the shores. They were fighting the most feared weapon in the world besides Warrior Monks - Templar Knights. They boldly invaded the city without landing, and killed 600 Numidians - once one of the most powerful forces in the world. The city of Carthage fell first, a sign of the Empire's long decay.

Casablanca - the last city with a functioning port and a decent amount of roadworks around it - fell next. Only 100 Templars were necessary to dispatch the city's garrison and swallow the city up. With a port in North Africa, Germany was now poised to swallow up the rest of the Western Mediterranean. Afterwards, Tangier fell in the face of the German blitzkrieg. City after city fell, until only the island fortress of Palma was secure from Germany's attacks. The defenders tried their hardest, but they were swamped by the German Templars. With the fall of Palma, the Carthaginian homeland had been eliminated, and it's fringe colonies in Siberia and Central Africa were ripe for the picking.

Despite our best efforts, every city openly resisted German rule - save for the capital city of Carthage. Now that was irony.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany320BCGermanEmpire.jpg

Above is the main part of the German Empire - Europe. A lot is excluded due to game screen limitations(Scandinavia and the Middle Eastern provinces). This shows how we swallowed up Carthage in a single turn. Carthage has 4 cities left - all but 1 is size 1. This means we can get a huge amount in our peace treaty.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany320BCWorld.png

And a world map. Key differences are the shift of territory along the Indian and Persian borders. The German Empire has annexed all of Carthage's homeland, and has also thrusted a huge spearhead into the northern Iroquois territories in North America.

Great job! Keep up the good work. Go into Persia.

Great updates! Whats next for the reich? Complete conquest of the Iroquoi territory? An attack on Russia? An assault on Persia and Arabia for complete control of the middle-east?

Very good game.

Great updates! Whats next for the reich? Complete conquest of the Iroquoi territory? An attack on Russia? An assault on Persia and Arabia for complete control of the middle-east?

Very good game.

Expect the war with the Iroquois to continue bearing fruits. We lost a few Templar units out of hubris, but I think with our Pirate Ships we can destroy their large army. Since they only have 4 production centers left(Tobacco is likely to fall next turn, making it 3), once their army is vanquished, they are powerless and ready to be eaten.

Germany's next move in the Old World is to secure peace with Carthage. Carthage will hand over 2 of it's African cities, hopefully. This will give us an edge in the colonial game. We also intend to send a second fleet of settlers south to take the Cape of South Africa. (Then we can monitor movement between the Indian and Atlantic Oceans)

Egypt is actually a good candidate at this moment - the Arabs have weakened them, and their empire is a huge population resource. We can't take Alexandria though(Great Library would give us Military Tradition, making Templars obsolete). We have no treaties with them, so there are no consequences. We can pour in from the East and West, and overrun their garrison at Cairo - giving us Pyramids and free granaries the continent over.

Germany will also be moving against Russia and England when our treaties expire with them. We're already using covert operations with our Pirate Fleet to trap the Russian navy in the straits between the North and Baltic seas - and then they shall be encircled and destroyed.

Overall, expect a lot of dead people in the following turns. :lol:

=== 310 BC ===

In the IBT, the world recognises German power. The Persians and Arabs both come to us, wanting us to intervene in their respective conflicts - the Perso-Indian and Arab-Egyptian wars. We send foreign aid to Persia, and plan to supply them with iron if need be - they become capable of fielding pikemen, which would slow the Indian advance slightly. In the Arab-Egyptian war, Memphis finally falls. We intended to invade Egypt as soon as possible, in order to secure the region against the growing power of the Arab Caliphate.

The war in the Americas raged on. Oneida was besieged by hordes in the tens and possibly hundreds of thousands. All over the Eastern coasts, German ships killed Iroquois soldiers with gunfire. 400 Iroquois were slaughtered near the Potomac river.

Oneida itself was threatened by 7300 Iroquois soldiers. What few ready Templars we had were mustered, and the Asian fleet opened fire. This was reduced to 2000 men, all gravely injured and immediately war weary as they saw their comrades explode in front of their eyes. 400 were cut to ribbons by a German Templar attack force.

26,000 Iroquois soldiers were en route to Oneida, and had foolishly positioned themselves near the coast. As they rested in their beds one night, they did not notice a light approaching from the distance...the lights of German ship. The force was reduced to 21,600 men. This would not hinder their advance, but when they reached the enormous amount of artillery Oneida boasted - they would realise just how much numbers counted in the war on Germany.

In Tobacco, 800 Iroquois were killed, while 400 Templars were killed in the attack. At no casualties, another 800 Iroquois were killed - and the last urban Iroquois city fell into the German Empire's hands.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany310BCTobaccoTaken.jpg

The Iroquois states of the South had aligned themselves with the Cayuga guerillas - if only temporarily. The greater German enemy had to be crushed, and so they met in the city that held half the population of the Free Iroquois - Tuscarora. The Illionois, Shawano, Cayuga and Tuscarora peoples discussed how to crush the German foe - an attack on Oneida was the most obvious. Oneida was the blood vessel linking Germany to the ocean - where all it's valuable supplies came from. The Iroquois leaders put aside their differences, and agreed to throw everything they had at the might of the First Reich.

--

Peacefully, Newfoundland and the Iroquois conquests were linked by a new settlement - Wilhelmstadt(officially new Wilhelmstadt.) Rebuilding the city was a sign of German defiance, and how Germany had finally eliminated the Iroquois threat.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany310BCWilhelmstadtRebuilt.jpg

The German Empire also donated large amounts of funds - nearly 1/4 of it's on-hand treasury - to the Carthaginian provinces, primarily to finance the mass construction of harbors in major cities. Slaves worked to rebuild the roads between cities. With foreign aid, strong soldiers(Templars), and a lack of bombardment and enemies, the former Carthaginian homeland was poised to grow and prosper, to become one of the greatest provinces of the empire.

--

More troops were also shipped off to the Americas - plenty of Templars to refill the ranks of our shrinking force, musketmen to maintain our defenses, and cannons to add to what the Pirate Ships carried. The Pirate Ships themselves would also prove an asset for the campaign in North America.

Keep 'em coming Tanicus. Can't wait for the next update.

=== 300 BC ===
In the IBT, Persepolis falls to India. We re-organise the Azure Wall accordingly.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany300BCHuronRevolts.jpg

The city of Huron also revolted, and the Kaiser considered razing the town...but he decided to let them have one more chance before causing another massacre. The massive Iroquois invasion force retreated at the same time, ironically.

--

Germany retook Huron at the cost of 500 men - the Iroquois lost 600. Germany also built THREE new armies in the region with the help of leaders.

--

The First Reich was backwards. The advanced powers of the world had obtained the Printing Press(the one technology Germany enjoyed exclusively), Banking, Navigation, and the ideas of the Republican system. Germany went about nabbing these technologies via it's diplomats. The Arab economists 'donated' to us the secrets of Banking...

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany300BCBanking.jpg

The Chinese navigation experts then told us their secrets of the sea, such as the compass. Germany was once again on par with China and India.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany300BCNavigation.jpg

Shortly after discovering Navigation, we learned how to refine coffee and wines. Coffee was found in abundance in North America, and when Oneida finished a harbor, it could be sent back to the motherland. Refined wines were in immense quantity in Spain, France, and Italy. Vineyards and wineries popped up all over the land, and the Kaiser invited the leaders of the world to a great Wine party, to discuss trade. In total, we possessed 23 sources of refined wine - enough to give one to each major leader in the world.

India's leaders paid 130 units of gold per term for Refined Wines and common wines. Common wines earned more money - we guess the Indians enjoyed old-fashioned wine instead. The Chinese gave us 75 gold per turn for Refined Wines as well. Germany's "purchase" of navigation was paying off. For the price of 1500 gold to acquire it, we now recieved a total of 4,100 gold over time. The Arabs gave us their knowledge of the Republican system for our navigation expertise - it couldn't help them either way. It also opened the door for more wines to be traded. The primitive natives in the Americas were given a seperate meeting. The Inca were given a taste of traditional wines - we couldn't sell them anywhere in Eurasia-Africa. We hoped the free wine would make them so drunk they wouldn't assault our South American provinces.

=== 290 BC - Another Short Turn ===

In the IBT, China demands a naval competition - their ships have sailed through the icy waters north of Canada, and they attack and sink 3 of our 4 ships near the British town of Nottingham, on Greenland. We have plenty of naval assets in the West - especially now that we can build Pirate Ships there - but we choose not to fight them until they arrive near Newfoundland. Our ship attacks them regardless, just to sink the jewel of their fleet - the Asian Pirates.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany290BCGreenlandBattle.jpg

The attack was a success, and the Pirates drank wine to commemorate their victory - and their coming deaths.
--

On the East Coast, many wounded Iroquois had dug in, rather then retreat to the homeland. They were surprised to see thousands of Templars approaching. And these were not in any huge army - they were all independent, and they were all just recently deployed. What must have been 2000 Iroquouis soldiers died that day. The Templars lost only 700... out of 5800. Many Iroquois children were found nearby - they were adopted and brought back to Oneida to be raised as more Templars - swelling the size of our legions further.

-- Battle of the Northern Straits --

The narrow strait between the North Sea and Baltic had been open for quite a while now. Russia took this oppurtunity to move out. They had neared Denmark when they were surprised to see Pirate Ships move into position ahead of them...blocking the forward route. The admiral gave the order to turn around and head back to St. Petersburg...but they were horrified to find a second group of Pirates behind them. The 740 sailors all readied themselves for a one-sided battle.. with 1920 Pirates, which was backed up by a reserve force of 960 - coming out of the German Port of Malmo.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany290BCStraitsBattle.jpg

The first wave left 340 Russian seamen alive. Of the 400 who were 'killed', 230 joined their Pirate foes. 80 joined the crew of the actual Pirate Fleet. 150 were given smaller privateering ships of their own after swearing an allegiance to the German High Admiral - at gunpoint. These Russians then turned on their comrades...

30 Russian Pirates gave their lives while killing 30 of their former brethren - before they themselves suffered a lethal shot that sent them to the bottom of the ocean. The remaining 120 Privateers would not see direct combat - they bombarded the ships and killed 30 Russian sailors, before being ordered to go to port and be trained.

Admiral Vladimir commanded the largest galley in the fleet - 60 men. He was further south, surrounded by his personal bodyguard of 2 40-man galleys. He was doing paperwork in his cabin to report to the Russian Tsar - he wouldn't be happy about this. Vladimir prayed he would keep his head. As he thought that, he looked up and saw a cannonball aiming straight at his face through the window.

With their leader unknowingly decapitated and likely obliterated, the fleet was in chaos. The captains watched in horror as cannonballs sunk the flagship. Then the cannonballs struck theirs, and shark fins could be seen increasing in number in the cold, icy waters below...

With Vladimir's command squadron of 140 men sunk, everything further north became chaotic. Several of the men joined the Pirates. The remaining ships were all sent to the bottom of the ocean and became shark food by the end of the hour.

Germany entered with 1920 men, Russia entered with 740. Germany left with 1900 men - many of whom had defected. Russia's naval power was crippled by the 'Pirate' attack, and this would make the coming invasion of Russia in the following decade all the much easier....

You're probably all wondering our current ranking in the game. Despite the hordes of units the other countries are building(India must have a HUNDRED warrior monks by now...), Germany is actually the first place power.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany290BCPowerBar.jpg

We also control the dominant share of the world's population and land:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany290BCVictoryStats.jpg

Finally, the demographics of the empire itself: Germany has one of the top 5 cities, and will soon take London and Kiev. (Of course, the game likes to keep you from being top 5, so the top 5 will go to someone else...:mad: )

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany290BCDemographics.jpg

We need to work on our manufactured goods and life expectency...

Stay tuned for Operation Barbarossa, next turn!

Nice set of turns.

=== 280 BC - Operation Barbarossa and German hegemony in Europe ===

Inbetween turns, Carthage comes to us for a treaty - we rejected it for the time being. We had to review what we could sieze first. Britain joins India in the war on Greece...they definitely won't get any spoils from it. India also made sure Japan declared war on Persia...island countries seemed rather mentally handicapped. More useful is the fact Cambodia allies with India against Mongolia.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany280BCCarthagePeace.jpg

Germany signs a peace treaty with Carthage, acquiring the station of Leptis Magna in Africa. We disover there's natives waiting RIGHT outside it's gates. Carthage left a nice present for us, we saw. We also acquired the Siberian Outpost of Tamanrasset.

--- Operation: Barbarossa ---

Operation Barbarossa - the invasion of Russia - was initiated in this period. In the previous decade, the Russian "navy" had been torn apart. Now we were poised to invade on multiple fronts. There was the area around St. Petersburg, the area around Kiev, and the Eastern Ukraine/Southern Russia region.

The invasion force we assembled was massive - nearly 30,000 men, almost all Templars. Musketmen were moving east to defend the captured possessions, and more Templars were being trained in the heart of the empire. Mere seconds before gunpowder started to be fired, the Tsar recieved a note about the war declaration - and then he lost control of his bowel movements.

--- Assault on Kiev ---

The reason why the Tsar would be so panicked was very simple. Kiev was the capital of the Russian empire - but it was nestled vulnerably in between German Ukraine and German Belarus. He was making preparations as the army attacked the city's walls - and he fled into the Russian wilderness.

The primitive Russian pikemen were outmatched by Templars. The first band was lucky, and slew 400 Templars before being killed themselves. This was offset by 200 Russian serfs renouncing their loyalty to their oppressive nobles, and joining the Templars. 300 more Templars died, killing 400 pikemen. 200 more men died killing the 400 swordsmen who remained, and the great capital of Russia was in German hands.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany280BCKievFalls.jpg

1/3 of the Russian citizens revolted, but the Kaiser rapidly reformed the area. Musketmen were called in as a new garrison, serfdom was abolished(the feudal lords were hanged, and their land was redistributed - half to the peasants, half to new German lords). Economic and social mobility greatly increased, and many citizens were encouraged to join the army to go against their old oppressors.

--- Southern Front ---

In the battle of Kharkiv, nearly 1200 Templars died killing 1100 pikemen. The Kaiser promised the soldiers that such blunders would not occur elsewhere. With Kharkiv, the Russian iron mines were taken over, removing Russia's precious metals - needed to build and maintain their force of pikemen and swordsmen.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany280BCKharkiv.jpg

Next came the battle of Volgagrad. Wedged between the Volga and another river, it was strategically located. Once the city fell, the way into the heart of Russia would be opened. 100 Templars died killing 800 pikemen - and were replaced by 200 local peasants. 100 more dead Templars killed 800 more pikemen. 300 more Templars died, killing 600 more pikemen. 700 more Templars gone, and 600 more pikemen had perished. 200 Templars died once more, killing 600 pikemen. The city of Volgagrad was indeed strategic - the army size in it was enormous.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany280BCVolgagrad.jpg

After countless more deaths, Volgagrad finally fell. It was the one city where everybody was happy to see the German occupiers. It seemed the Russian people were finally catching on as to who they should support.

The formerly-French city of Orleans was next. Once taken, we could take route north to Ryazan - and then Moscow, the new capital. 900 Templars died killing 1600 pikemen.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany280BCOrleans.jpg

A band of 7200 Teutonic Knights was sent against the city of Ryazan, further in. Across the river from it, the Teutons expected death to come to them. But they knew that if Ryazan fell, Russia was doomed - Moscow was right ahead of it. At the loss of 400 soldiers, Russia lost 800 pikemen. Ryazan's conquest would have to wait for another day...but on the northern front, more bad news would come to Russia.

--- Northern Front ---

300 of St. Petersburg's garrison were slaughtered by Pirate Ship fire - the navy took the brunt of the damage. 500 Templars killed 800 more pikemen. Smaller bands of 300 pikemen had to take up the defense. Some more dead Templars later, spearmen had to take up the defense. Russia's backwardness quickly became apparent. At the cost of only 100 Templars, the great port of Russia fell to Germany:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany280BCStPetersburg.jpg

The Russian navy was essentially dead now, but Germany still had to mop up Russia's fortresses at Helsinki and Novgorod...

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany280BCNovgorod.jpg

Novgorod fell, and 90 percent of the citizens resisted. The Kaiser was shocked so many people - 500,000 - would resist German rule, and fighting spilled into the streets against guerillas and terrorists. Once the city's strategic purpose was served, he intended to burn it to the ground.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany280BCHelsinki.jpg

Helsinki fell next. With Helsinki gone, Germany's power in the Baltic was undeniable. Small fishing villages under the control of Russian Reykjavik were not in our hands, but they did not have the facilities to build a fleet.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany280BCReykjavikFalls.jpg

At the loss of 700 men, we killed the 800-man garrison in Reykjavik, bringing the entire Baltic coast into the German sphere of influence. Reykjavik also held half the (unexploited) iron ore of Russia, cutting them off from any new iron weapons. Russia's defeat there also marked the German rule of Scandinavia.

--- A nation in Chaos: The Russian Civil War ---

Gunpowder ringed throughout the Russian center. Germany had been supplying muskets to various opposing factions to create chaos in the Russian motherland. Imprisoned radicals - such as the socialists Karl Marx, Freidrich Engels, and Vladimir Lenin - were being released and deported to Russia to spread their doctrines of socialism. Republicans were deported from Italy, and Democrats from Greece. The movements all gained momentum in Russia. The Russians fought over a monarchy, socialist state, republic or democratic system(the fourth one died out due to Russia's enormous population). Germany's generosity was doing well to fuel the anarchy.

In the administrative building - which had been converted into a new royal palace - Alexander II had been deposed. The military had staged a coup d'tat and placed the young Nicholas II on the throne. Nicholas had been forced to serve in the Russian army to build up his experience, and was cold towards his father as a result. He barely shed only a tiny tear as his father was carried away, yelling for his son for several minutes, before a shot followed. Then there was silence.


--- Unified Front: Moscow, Smolensk, and Ryazan ---

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany280BCSmolensk.jpg

Smolensk - the Republican capital - fell easily, overwhelmed by the German hordes.

The Monarchist capital was next - Moscow. Nicholas was doing his best to serve his country, but he left a lot up to his military leaders - he was almost a puppet. He was alerted of 4100 German Templars outside his city. Nicholas prepared to flee to Archangel'sk - one of the few cities solidly under Monarchist domination.

800 pikemen fought bravely, killing 600 Germans before going down themselves. After a few more exchanges, Moscow fell to the German Army. Nicholas, his advisors, and family were nowhere to be found.

Vladimir Lenin sat in his office in Ryazan. He smiled, as he knew that the one threat to his movement - the Romanov family - was being murdered in a rural home not too far outside town. He heard a knock at the door and told whoever it was to come in.

It was a ragged messenger. "General Secretary, we have an urgent message for you, from the executioners." the messenger said.

"Go on, my lad, tell me about the fate of the Romanovs!" Lenin grinned. The monarchist movement would die without a monarch to rally around.

"...Sir, those aren't the executioners I meant...Nicholas and his wife were shot, but before the children could be killed as well, the Germans intervened and..."

"GERMANS! Inside MY land?! The workers' land?!" Lenin slammed his fists on the desks.

"Yes, sir, they're only a mile or so outside the city..." the messenger cowered in fear.

"Rally the troops! The workers! The Soviets! The Soviet Union cannot die only a mere month after it's birth!" Lenin shouted as he grabbed his jacket, grabbing his personal musket and sword.

--- Battle of Ryazan ---

While the Ryazan garrison had survived the blow by the southern force, the northern one was even stronger. It took only 100 Templars to overwhelm the city's 400 pikemen and it's hordes of citizen-soldiers. Lenin fled to the city of Kazan further east, promising to carry the "worldwide revolution"'s efforts from there.

Princess Anastasia and the surviving children of the royal family were shipped back to Germany. Anastasia was placed under Royal Guard protection, and she would marry the Kaiser's only son. This was so the monarchies of Russia and Germany would be unified.

---

In conclusion, the Russian state had been shattered. Seperated into many small, warring, distant states, the empire could not hope to survive. All of Russia's major cities were in German hands, save the 3 that Lenin commanded as part of his Soviet Union. (The city of Omsk had defected to the Greek Kongo - which itself had lost it's capital to Songhai)

After Operation Barbarossa's incredible success, a world map is in order.


http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany280BCWorld.png

The Inca Empire has expanded once again - go figure.

Germany's acquired stations in Africa thanks to it's wars with Carthage and Greece. Noticeable is the huge amount of territory Germany swallowed up from Russia, placing us at 8 percent of the world's territory - twice that of the second-biggest competitor, China! We also have 25 percent of the population now.

Persia, India, Egypt, and Arabia's borders have all shifted thanks to their wars. Songhai has gone on to conquer northern Greece(Kongo). Omsk(on the outskirts of the late Russian homeland) defected to Greece in turn. Egypt has conquered several of the Arabic outposts, while losing Cairo/Memphis. Finally, India has gained a second outpost on Australia.

I'm about to start my next turn, but since I didn't post a map beforehand, and the fact it's hard to visualise Russia due to it's size, here's map of most of Russia. The black border surrounds all the territory added to the Reich after the blitzkrieg.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany280BCRussiaFrontier.jpg

=== 270 BC ===

In the IBT, Songhai declares war on Mongolia. Egypt declares war on Persia...not like they can really do anything there. Cambodia also aligned against Persia. And the Inca...

Leptis Magna is raided by the barbarians - who unwittingly lose one of their best units in the raid. We lose only 4 gold.

--

Germany discovered refined music - Music Theory - during this period. The art was sold to our neighbors, in particular China and India. The Kaiser hoped that by sucking up large amounts of their economy, Germany could slow their research capabilities. After discovering they still brought in thousands of units of gold per term, the Kaiser doubted it would work. But the hundreds of units they gave us for the technology more then made up for it all.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany270BCIndiaTrade.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany270BCChinaTrade.jpg

--

Back to the meat and potatoes - warfare. Germany had rid itself of the Romanovs - the surviving relatives of Nicholas had been shipped back to the German homeland. Without a monarch, the cities of Archangel'sk and Murman(Monarchist strongholds) erupted into civil strife. Generals and claimed relatives/friends desired to become the next Tsar, while the Republican movement picked up strength. Murman became a Republican city after a year of civil war, while Archangel'sk continued to tear itself apart, splitting into rival districts. Their civil war was interrupted by German invasion.

700 pikemen fell, while only 100 Templars died killing them. Templars then were summoned to go against the city's garrison of spearmen. They were slain without casualty, and the last Monarchist city fell into German hands. Lenin cheered the victory, his most hated enemy(besides the Germans) had finally been crushed.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany270BCArchangelsk.jpg

With Archangel'sk gone, the Russian navy lost it's most secure station. Only weak Murman still remained independent, but it lacked the development to fight off a German siege. Conquering Murman also sealed off the front northeast of Moscow.

-- Fall of the Soviet Union --

Lenin's partying and celebration was about to come to an end. The forests around Kazan had halted effective German advancement, allowing him to solidify his Union deeper inside Russia. He had even sent a small force of 2400 men - mostly swordsmen and pikemen - to retake the city of Ryazan from the Germans. Those forces would have been of more use in Kazan.

Despite the forests and rivers between them and the Templars, Kazan lost 800 pikemen, while Germany lost only 200 Templars. Lenin called upon peasants armed with bronze spears next. They were cut to ribbons, and the would-be revolutionary fled further east, to the small town of Yekaterinburg.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany270BCKazan.jpg

En route to Kazan, there was a total force of 4300 soldiers of the Red Army. Templars were called to eliminate the socialist backbone.

The pikemen used the forest to greatly give them an advantage. The 800 Russian pikemen killed 500 Templars before being downed. Then the swordsmen and archers were next. The 800 swordsmen killed 200 Templars before they too were crushed. 500 Templars perished killing another band of 400 swordmsen. At the price of another 100 Templars, the last of 2400 men were killed. The Red Army had been reduced 1900 soldiers.
300 Templars were lost next, killing 300 pikemen. Another 300 lost, and 400 swordsmen were killed. The Reds now fielded 1,200 troops. 200 more perished, and the Red Army was reduced to 800 soldiers - a band of archers and pikemen.

At the cost of a few hundred men, those were disposed of. Gulag workers were along the frontier of the Kazan governate...but we focused on the jewel - Yekaterinburg. No more offensive force meant our way to the Red Empire was secure. We attacked Yekaterinburg with a 6800 man army. They lost only 100 men to kill 400 pikemen. We did not have the available force to take Yekaterinburg, but it was expected to fall in a few years.

--

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany270BCIroquoisWar.jpg

The War on the Iroquois raged on. It was discovered that the large retreat was not a retreat at all - it was a repositioning. The enemy army was fleeing towards Michigan, hoping to move north from there and attack Saul St. Marie and Tobacco. We blocked their path northward with a band of 4600 Templars. They were faced by 5200 Archers, 4000 spearmen, and 4600 warriors, with more coming. It was hoped the Templars would scare the Iroquois so much they would retreat.

We also waged skirmishes along the thinned out forces in the forests southwest of Oneida. We killed 800 men while losing only 100 of our own. Another 800 were killed without casualty. The plan was to send our many armies in the region against Shawano and Tuscarora - catching the Iroquois off guard. Faced with an army in front and an invasion in the homelands, the Iroquois coalition would have no choice but to retreat.

Good story... Interesting historical note: Volgagrad was, during the soviet era, known as Stalingrad, and it would appear that it functioned much that way in your game (except that the Germans won this time around). :lol:

Good story... Interesting historical note: Volgagrad was, during the soviet era, known as Stalingrad, and it would appear that it functioned much that way in your game (except that the Germans won this time around). :lol:

Yes...thank the RNG gods there's no such thing as winter...my poor Knights would've been Knightsicles. ):

=== 260 BC ===

In the IBT, Germany tears up it's right of passage with Britain. When the Russians and Arabs are disposed of, we intend to unite the German Empire with it's Anglo-Saxon brethren.

In the Iroquois War, 1100 soldiers were killed near Oneida while no Templars were lost. Our scare tactic also worked - the Iroquois retreated, and appeared to be fleeing westward...we believed they would move north to upper Michigan instead.

The Western Holy Legion - 9000 men - assaulted Tuscarora, the new 'capital' of the Iroquois coalition. 1200 spearmen were killed, while Germany lost only 200 Templars. A band of 800 Teutonic Knights - descendants of those who had roamed the Iroquous countryside ever since the war began centuries ago - attacked Tuscarora next. 500 of them died, but the city fell. With it, half the Iroquois population. As well, 2/5 of the Iroquois territory fell in the assault - linking the north and south.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany260BCTuscaroraFalls.jpg

A 5900 man army - backed by 700 Templars - attacked the small town of Shawano in the north. 400 dead Templars yielded 400 dead spearmen. The band killed another 100 and lost it's own 100, but retreated. The 5900 Templars then took up the sword. 500 more Templars were lost killing 400 spearmen northeast of Tuscarora. We focused on clearing the interior. The hope was that in the next decade, Germany could attack the last Iroquois city - Illinois.

--

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany260BCDemocracyStolen.jpg

Germany stole the secrets of Democracy from the Indian philosophers in this period. The Indians were trying to refine the Athenian secrets to work with their huge population. Germany took this new idea and shared it with China - cutting off potential profit for India. China gave us 420 gold per term for the secrets of Democracy. Irony - they were absolute monarchists.

--

At the loss of 700 Templars, we killed 500 pikemen. We still had 300 left to dispose of. At the expense of only 100 more Templars, we eliminate the pikemen. Lenin's peasant spearmen took up the defense once again. 600 Templars killed the lucky spearmen, and Yekaterinburg fell to Germany. With it, large amounts of gulag workers were 'liberated' and put to work for the more-humane Reich.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany260BCYekaterinburg.jpg

We moved on to Chelyabinsk, and lost 400 Templars to kill 400 Russian pikemen. 100 more Templars died to reduce the garrison to swordsmen. With only a few hundred more casualties, the last true bastion of the Soviet Union fell.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany260BCChelyabinsk.jpg

However, we saw Lenin had a surprise up his sleeve:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany260BCRedArmy.jpg

Out of nowhere, he had recruited thousands of men to serve in his Red Army. We had noticed many workers vanishing from the homeland of Russia...we assumed that was where they went. The forces totalled 13,600 swordsmen and 12,000 of a mixed spearmen/pikemen variety. Lenin apparently hoped his 25,600 man guerilla force could defeat the German forces. Unfortunately for him, our Templar Army forces alone comprised 11,000 men. And there were more being trained and sent to the front with each passing day.

The war for the Russian Homeland, had apparently just begun.

--- Unification of the Germanic peoples: Operation Sea Lion ---

The tribes known as the Angle and Saxons had migrated to the British isles long ago from Germany. Displacing the locals, they gradually unified and formed a kingdom called England. England overran Wales in the West, and formed an uneasy alliance with the Scottish tribes of the north. They finally invaded Ireland, and eventually established a colony on Greenland far to the west. The later rulers tried to style themselves "British", after the island - Britannia. They forcefully and peacefully took over Scotland, and with the Acts of Union created the "British Empire". The ascension to a unified state had been overseen by Germany, which regularly sent shipments of foreign aid over the centuries.

But for the past 200 years, relations went cold. Germany kept sending it's aid packages - which decreased in size. At the same time, huge bands of Pirates swallowed up the seas around Britain and blew the primitive Royal Navy out of the water. When these Pirates retreat, new ones - sponsored by China or India - came in from the West and took their place. Britain had recently began to rebuild it's road network, which German Pirates had blown to pieces. But just as they were rebuilding, a greater threat loomed on the horizon...the religious zeal of the Templar Knights.

Germany did routine investigations, and discovered these numbers:

Cardiff, capital of the Welsh, had a garrison of 3600 soldiers, many of which were warriors.
London, home to Shakespeare's Theater and Newton's University of Science, had 7900 soldiers.
York, largest city of the British people, had 3900 defenders.
Edinburgh, capital of the Scots and home of the capitalist Adam Smith's trading company, had 3900 units as well - many of which were warriors.
Dublin, the weak capital of Ireland, possessed a mere 1500 troops.

Nottingham was not taken into account, as it was too far flung to be a threat. The total amount of British soldiers was 20,800 men.

The German Army was ready to set sail...but then the Kaiser remembered that the British still had a deal with Germany for 10 more years. The assault was called off...until the deal ran out.

--- The Indonesian Question ---

Germany had wanted to expanded in the East for some time now. But constant wars aimed at the unification of Europe and the conquest of the Mediterranean prevented any decisive action. Germany decided to try the next best thing - create a puppet state in the Far East. While India and China sent their fleets around Canada and Africa, Germany found the perfect way to distract the powers - add a third one to the equation. Kaiser Maximillian VIII traveled to Indonesia, and met with their ruler. He offered them the secrets of Monotheism and Theology - necessary to build Asian Pirate Ships.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany260BCIndonesia.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany260BCIndonesia2.jpg

The agreement was a bit expensive, but we also gained spices. We then traded them Theology to gain back almost everything we gave. The Indonesian state was now capable of building Asian Pirate Ships - this would make them a thorn in China and India's sides. While Indonesia lacked the huge population to entirely compete, adding a third naval power to the race in the East meant that Germany's waters would become more secure.

We also donated foreign aid to help Indonesia emerge as a key power.

=== 250 BC ===
In the IBT, Turkistan comes to us wanting a new alliance against Greece. Since the Greek war really would have no further profit at this time, and we just signed a peace treaty, the German Empire refused. China joins the war on Mongolia...the Mongols were doomed with both superpowers against them. Songhai came to us, and we gave them the finger. With a single unit of gold attached, of course. We also cancelled our right of passage - the Middle East and Africa would soon be German.

-- Operation: Sea Lion (FOR REAL THIS TIME!) --

The British Royal Navy was at sea. It was foolishly trying to boot out the fleet of Asian Pirate Ships that had taken up positions in the Baltic. With their navy gone, bombarding the British Isles would be even easier...we proceeded to 're-negotiate' our incense deal. It seems the British didn't want it anymore. So we cancelled the deal and walked away...then returned in our gunships.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany250BCBritishEmpire.jpg

3600 soldiers were aboard the fleet headed for Dublin. With only 600 casualties, we conquered Dublin and the whole of Ireland. The people welcomed us with cheers for their liberation. Taxes were lowered and labor was re-organised. With the local outpost of the British Isles removed, we proceeded to Britannia itself.

Another fleet from Brest besieged Cardiff, killing hundreds of soldiers inside. Warriors had to take up the defense in the face of the Germanic invasion. Only 200 Templars died killing 1,000 of the British soldiers. Losing 200, we killed 1200 more British. We also gained yet another military leader - Britannicus, as he was later known. A hundred more Templars was all it took to crush the city, and Wales welcomed the German liberators as well.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany250CardiffFalls.jpg

With a beachhead established, we moved on to the next target - London itself. The capital was well-defended, if by primitive troops. We sent a full force of 7200 Templars to the city from Amsterdam. The resulting battle yielded a new leader, later known as Anglicus.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany250BCLondon.jpg

London soon fell. The majority of the citizenry resisted us, and Queen Victoria fled north immediately to York. In the ensuing chaos, the harbor was destroyed by rioters. 10,000 people certainly do a lot of damage when angry! Luckily, we had 5900 Templars left to discipline them.

But now the time had come to conquer the English homeland. York, the largest city, holding more then half of the whole British empire(occupied and non)'s population, was the main objective.

200 Germans died killing 800 Yorkist spearmen. Victoria fled further north, to Edinburgh. She was surprised to find Germans there too. German Templars had killed 600 spearmen, and now a band of 600 warriors took up the defense. They were cut down to ribbons, as was the next band of 600 warriors. There were an estimated 2,100 troops left defending Edinburgh. They were call cut down with minimal casualties.

Queen Victoria fled by boat, not wanting to risk a trek through the hills to the south. She was intercepted by the (non-German) Pirates, and the rest(and the British monarchy) is history.

After some more skirmishing with almost no German casualties, York fell as well, and the conquest of the British isles was complete.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany250BCBritainConquered.jpg

While 3/4 of York's citizenry resisted occupation, Germany moved on to the next phase of it's plans. Queen Victoria's only son was abducted and shipped back to Germany, where he would marry the Kaiser's niece. By merging all the monarchies and nobilities of Europe, Germany was almost ready for it's next plan.

The last free British in Nottingham(on Greenland) heard the news and descended into civil war. The war ended quickly, and a Despotate replaced the British Monarchy.

With Germany's flank secured and the British eliminated, the Kaiser desired to do what his ancestors dreamed of: unify Europe. He ordered his forces to attack Murmansk, the last free city in Europe under European control. (The Turkish cities were in Europe as well, but unification of the European peoples was more what the Monarchy had in mind)

Murman managed to hold out, but Germany's rule on Europe was basically solid.

Lenin gave the order for Soviet Troops to flee Eastwards, it seemed. They were headed for the last Russian bastion - Noril'sk. We were content to let them flee, but we raided them for good measure. It did not come without casualties - 1,700 Templars died killing 2400 Red Army soldiers. 300 men killed 800 more of the Red Army forces.

The Red Army was then calculated to have 23,300 soldiers remaining, based on what we could see. They kept fleeing East, which was good for the Reich.

--- A look outside Europe ---

Now that Europe was essentially under the German yoke, the Kaiser looked elsewhere for his fortunes. He looked at Indonesia. With navigation, it was much easier to send supplies then in the old days. He noticed Indonesia lacked Iron and Horses...and since Germany had those in abundance, he gave them for free. He also wanted to deny China and India the oppurtunity to sell such resources.

Next, he began to consider our relations in the Middle East. The Middle East was a region in turmoil. Arabia and Egypt fought eachother, as did India and Persia. He felt it was the near-united Europe's duty to bring order to a chaotic domain. As such, he mobilised his armies, ready to invade Arabia.

Arabia's resources were calculated. The main goals of the German Army were to take Suez(to shorten the distance between Europe and the Indian ocean via it's canal), Memphis for the Pyramids, Damascus to unite Israel with the European motherland, along with Baghdad and Basra to split Eurasia-Africa in half, and give us the Hanging Gardens.

Suez: 2900 musketmen, hordes of slaves.
Damascus: 400 musketmen, 3300 bowmen.
Baghdad: 2400 of mixed forces, 2 catapults.
Basra: 2300 soldiers.
Memphis: 3900 musketmen, hordes of slaves.

With these numbers and the large number of troops positioned nearby, the Kaiser decided to open a new front against Arabia. But before we get to that, we should look at the war against the Iroquois.

---Iroquois War---

The Iroquois/Illinois forces were scattered all over the place. Rather then go against the Armies harassing their homeland, they went towards Oneida once again. This would be a fatal mistake, as 9,000 soldiers approached the Iroquois homeland...

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany250BCIllinoiscaptured.jpg

The city fell after a short skirmish. With it, the leadership of the Iroquois was decapitated. In the following years, the Iroquois tore into eachother to establish new states and new leaders, which over time meant:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany250BCIroquoisDestroyed.jpg

The burnings of Wilhelmstadt and Hapsburg had been avenged. With the Iroquois death, our position in the Americas was secure. Germany then set it's sights on building a chain of colonies all the way to the Pacific. But that is for future tales.

(THANK GOD THE HUNDRED OR SO IROQUOIS TROOPS EVAPORATED! X_X )

Also in the New World, on Cuba, we killed the remaining 200 Arawaks. 600 more Barbarians resided on the Western half of the island - they would be disposed of by the region's locally-trained Templars.

Coming next, the Crusades! Watch as Germany pierces the heart of the Arabic Empire, and unwittingly pulls Egypt's fat out of the fire!

Can't wait to see this... I'm not much of a warmonger myself, but do appreciate a good war every now and then (most of my wars are the result of "brushing off sparks that land on me" such as what happened in a WH fantasy mod game that I have an unfinished story for.... The Sylvanians attacked me without any preamble, and I proceeded (with a very small amount of help from teh Dolgans) to utterly crush them).

Can't wait to see this... I'm not much of a warmonger myself, but do appreciate a good war every now and then (most of my wars are the result of "brushing off sparks that land on me" such as what happened in a WH fantasy mod game that I have an unfinished story for.... The Sylvanians attacked me without any preamble, and I proceeded (with a very small amount of help from teh Dolgans) to utterly crush them).

The Crusades were a smashing success. : ) Expect a ton of war in the coming turns... no right of passages, no real local enemies, and mass produced, powerful Templars will oversee the construction of an empire spanning each and every continent..

--- The Crusades ---

The Arabic Caliphate had grown far too strong. It was overrunning the huge population centers of Egypt, had siezed the Suez Canals, and now had granaries and aqueducts in every one of it's cities. They even had musketmen to guard such a vast domain. We chose to make an unholy alliance with Egypt - our one tech rival in the immediate area - by intervening in their favor.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany250BCWaronArabs.jpg

The Arabic garrison at Damascus was blasted to pieces by Pirate Ships. Almost half the men inside were killed by gunfire...and then Templars made their move. It was a long hard battle and the bowmen were formiddable with their accuracy, killing hundreds in each wave, but the city fell, and Israel was no longer an "island".

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany250Damascus.jpg

An "outdated" swordsmen army then struck at the most prominent city of the Arabic empire apart from Mecca - Baghdad. The musketmen garrison was wiped out, leaving humble bowmen. Although we attacked from across the river, fortune seemed to smile on the Germanic hordes. Wave after wave of Templars assaulted the city, until it fell.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany250BCBaghdad.jpg

The awe Germans recieved at the sight of the Hanging Gardens caused many engineers to try and build replicas in their home cities. While they all failed, the fact these replicas could be used as aqueducts spurred the growth of the German Reich.

With the defeat of Baghdad, the Caliphate fled to Basra further south and set up a new capital, believing it could reclaim the region while we rebuilt our forces. They were proven wrong when we invaded Basra and siezed it as well. A total of 47 population units had been added to the German Empire.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany250BCBasra.jpg

Germany made strikes against the Arab forces near Suez, and the ones assaulting Alexandria. Hundreds of Arabic musketmen were killed, meaning Alexandria would survive another day. Suez's garrison was greatly reduced, and more ships being commissioned in Europe meant that the Suez Canal would soon be occupied...

Germany also made a skirmish against the city of Medina. Medina had only 300 musketmen defending it, and it was swiftly occupied and defended.

The Supreme Religious authority of the Arab lands - the Caliph - relocated their capital to the strategic city of Aden, which guarded the gates to the Red Sea. He vowed to raise a new army to defeat the German menace. Which would be hard - almost all the Arabic musketmen were in the Egyptian region...and they had been slaughtered by Pirate Ship cannons.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany250BCWorld.png

30 years after Operation Barbarossa began, Germany's Empire has swelled immensely in size.

-Germany has conquered Britain, has destroyed the Iroquois, and much of the Middle East.

-India's borders are more accurate - they had siezed a city in northeast Iran.

-Songhai has made more moves against Greece. Only the small, no culture city of Knossos is left out of the Greek Empire in Africa. We intend to attack Omsk once our peace treaty wears out - vanquishing our former enemy.

I feel so sorry for the Greeks, being separated over 1000 of kilometers from each other.

What version of the game are you using?

Those spots in Siberia and Manchuria aren't German are they?

I feel so sorry for the Greeks, being separated over 1000 of kilometers from each other.

What version of the game are you using?

I am using the most up-to-date patch for Conquests. However, Teturkhan's map is made for Play the World, it's the most recent version of his map. I just changed stuff here and there - adding more roads, making Pirates as units some civs could build, the slave trade, etc.

I am using the most up-to-date patch for Conquests. However, Teturkhan's map is made for Play the World, it's the most recent version of his map. I just changed stuff here and there - adding more roads, making Pirates as units some civs could build, the slave trade, etc.

Sadly I only have PTW.... I guess its time for more internet shopping, thanks :)

Those spots in Siberia and Manchuria aren't German are they?

Actually, there's an unmapped German city we got from Carthage a bit northeast of Manchuria...we'll add that next update. But otherwise, most of present-day Russia is either forested(can't be settled) or occupied by foreigners. ):

(Templars will change that though... :nuke: )

is it safe to say that this thread has gone to sleep for a while?

is it safe to say that this thread has gone to sleep for a while?

I'll try my best to get my butt back in gear... the reason it went to sleep is because of a nice little 10 dollar game called Europa Universalis 2 I bought about 2 months ago. While I enjoy the experience a bit more, I can't help but feel that until I make Germany and the USA the supreme forces of the world in their respective threads, I can't abandon Civ 3. I'll need to try and cope with Teturkhan's slowwww load times and see if I can topple India and China.

EU2? Ask me anything! (but do continue with this game too)

EU2? Ask me anything! (but do continue with this game too)

Well, since you offered... do you by any chance know where I could find that elusive MyMap-AGCEEP mod? I can only play one or the other since they're not compatible anymore(because an older version of AGCEEP is required to use MyMap)..

I recently gave up on Civ 4 (my rig's just not beefy enough) so I've started looking around in the Civ 3 threads again. I've gotta say, this is one of the more interesting stories I've read in a while. Action-packed and easy to read is a very good combo to have.

I might also have to check out EU2 based on your recent recommendation.

Just wondering, Registered in 2004 and 29 posts?

And to TaniciusFox- When do we get the update?

Just wondering, Registered in 2004 and 29 posts?


Super-lurker most of the time.

Very nice nice empire, can't wait to see the next post. By the way, looked back and found you saying there was sharks off the coast of Denmark:crazyeye:
Though seriously, very nice.

Very nice nice empire, can't wait to see the next post.

I agree, I'm really anxious! I've been following this for a looong time, and am waiting patiently.

I'm also curious. Did you mod in those Templar Knights, or what (I can't find them in the editor on this scenario for Play the World).

I agree, I'm really anxious! I've been following this for a looong time, and am waiting patiently.

I'm also curious. Did you mod in those Templar Knights, or what (I can't find them in the editor on this scenario for Play the World).


Sorry for the constant delays guys...butcher Paradox for being like a succubus and seducing me to the dark side...(EU2)

Regarding Templars, I did modify them(and other religious units) to give them extra health and the ability to blitz/be amphibious(also in other rel units). They're in the most recent version of the map, which has to be downloaded on the forums.

Just wondering, Registered in 2004 and 29 posts?

And to TaniciusFox- When do we get the update?


I will do my best to play Civ 3 once I return from vacation in Michigan in about 5/6 days. :)

I am enjoying this story alot...TETurkhan maps rock...just reading this story and looking at the excellent pics reminds me of some of my best games on this scenario...conquering the world with the Romans, making stacks of enemies and constanty at war with the Songhai, settling in North America after a slow and treacherous voyage and battling the barbarian hordes just to get a foothold...great times, if it hadn't died I could have made an awesome story...pity about the very long loading times. Having said that I haven't played the game properly for nearly three years...Enough reminising, back on topic...cant wait for the next update. Keep it going!

Well, since you offered... do you by any chance know where I could find that elusive MyMap-AGCEEP mod? I can only play one or the other since they're not compatible anymore(because an older version of AGCEEP is required to use MyMap)..

You managed to catch me during my vacation :)

I say your best shot would be the Paradox Forums:
http://www.europa-universalis.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=51

=== 240 BC ===

The IBT sees many battles. Asian Pirates, likely Chinese-hired, tear into the primitive British fleet off the coast of Britannia, and annihiliate it. Egyptian forces are seen winning battles against the demoralised musketmen and bowmen of the Arabs. Songhai, Abyssinia, and the Zulu are also engaged in a war on Arabia thanks to our diplomatic manuevers. This will hopefully keep them from devoting their large East African holdings to gobbling up our captured outposts in the area.
The Arabs win a few battles against Egypt as well. They move many of their wounded musketmen into Suez - which we intend to assault and hopefully take.
Tibet joins the Asian crusade against Mongolia. We also cancel our rights of passage with Persia and Turkistan - readying for the next wave of expansion.

---

Domestically, our empire's next stage of expansion is placed: 2 new bands of settlers arrive in Brazil, and will expand the colony to the northwest and the southeast. Meanwhile, our hired Pirates do their best to wear down the enormous fleets of Asian ships moving into our territorial waters.

Our assault on them is a success, and within a few months, all but one fleet of 2600 men - under the command of Admiral Zhe Xiung - are destroyed.

Next, Germany struck at Murmansk, the last Russian holding in Europe. It fell with relative ease. The Russian Northern Fleet - 230 men strong - now lacked a port, and as a result would decay over time as it was hacked into by a combination of cold, starvation and attacks from Pirates.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany240BCMurmansk.png

With the goal of European unification(except for small, rather uninhabited pockets of land, and the Turkish holdings far to the East) achieved, an envoy was sent to the Soviets. We discovered that Lenin had recently died, being replaced by a young man from Georgia, Iosef Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili - known better by his pseudonym of Joseph Stalin.
Stalin had achieved power through treachery, charisma and sheer force. He dominated the Politburo and was de facto leader and dictator of the Soviet Union. He glorified the army while using horrific political repression and a personality cult to keep power. He referred to the 30-year war with Germany as the 'Great Patriotic War'.
However, Stalin was also a more reasonable person then Lenin. While Lenin had always intended to invade the rest of the world to export his revolution - and thus by nature was Germany's enemy - Stalin's policies were referred to as 'socialism in one country'. Stalin desired to regain the lands Germany had snatched - indeed, most of the territory and population of Russia - but he was willing to compromise.
Stalin's greeting was short and sweet:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany240BCRussiaGreeting.png
Funny coming from the man who was butchering his own people when he could've used them to prosecute the war...
We negotiated peace with Russia on the following terms:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany240BCRussiaTreaty.png
In addition, we were charitable and promised to not do any further ventures into Siberia. We also said the Soviet Union could now claim any non-German land in Turkistan or Siberia. (Roughly the real Soviet Union's territories). To prop up Stalin's regime in 'reperations' *cough* donations *cough*, we promised 50 gold per term for the peace treaty's running.

--- The Crusades Continue ---

With the Russo-German war ended, and the Soviet Union essentially a German puppet state, the next move was planned. We were to strike Suez and Mecca, taking both the strategic isthmus and it's canals, and one of Arabia's largest cities.
Suez fell with little difficulty and few casualties on our part. A large chunk of Arabia's musketmen were cut down, and with the city came a great canal and a great gift - 40 bands of slave workers. They were marked to be shipped to Rome and it's vast slave market immediately.
However, the German government saw oppurtunity... Memphis. Memphis was now fully open to the brunt of our fleets in the Meditteranean, and Templars aboard them. We decided to push our luck... and not too long after, Memphis was reduced to little more then 1/4 of it's original garrison. 4800 Templars then attacked into the heart of Egypt, into the city at the beginning of the Nile Delta. The reasoning for such a move? Population bonuses... and the Pyramids.
During the battle of Memphis, a leader - later known as Aegyptus - emerged. He led the Templars to victory.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany240BCEgyptoccupied.png
With the conquest of Memphis, relations soured when we refused to return the region to Egypt. But it mattered not - thanks to the many inscriptions in the temples around Memphis, we were able to know about all the ways to store grain cheaply and quickly... causing new, advanced granaries to pop up all over the German Reich. We had also banished the Arabs from Egypt, and could now focus our northern efforts on conquering the lands they gave their name to - Arabia.

--- Conquest of Arabia ---

While the Egyptian people welcomed us as liberators and protectors(thousands of Arab troops were stationed around Memphis), we made our advance into their homeland.
To free up troops, the Azure Wall was dismantled in Persia. Our troops set up a new military border to keep India out of the Caucasus regions of Persia. They could have most of the Persian homeland.
While no real offensives were made in Arabia, our hordes of Knights gathered in Medina, and soon they would unleash hell upon the desert.

--- Taming of the Americas ---

While we expanded our power base in South America, in North America we were adding the finishing touches. Forced migration was slowly being used to re-organise the major population centers of the former Iroquois Confederacy, to maximise land and efficiency.
We also exterminated natives who chose to resist us rather then join us or at least accept our hegemony by paying tribute. In the North, the Cherokee - once a tribe that could field 4,300 soldiers -was reduced to only 400 armed troops. This was reduced to 300. The Cherokee fought bravely - albeit futilely - under their leader Sequoya.
In a climactic battle, 8,800 men - who made up the Western Holy Legion - assaulted the small Cherokee force. Losing only 100 men, we slaughtered the entire Cherokee armed force, and captured anybody who had survived the influx of European epidemics as slaves. They would eventually be integrated into the colonial population, but that is another story.
Sequoya was among the first to die, and he was given the Order of the Kaiser posthumously for his bravery to stand up for his people against all odds. A small monument was erected on the battlefield, along with a statue of Sequoya. The Kaiser mentioned him to be someone that Germans should emulate in terms of virtue and personal integrity, regardless of the fact he was from a different culture.
Further south, the less-admirable Arawaks remained a thorn in our side. While the Cherokee had been on land fully under the sway of Germany, the Arawak and the remnants of the Carib tribes were in territories yet to be fully settled, in the frontier of Western Cuba.
600 native troops were cut to 300, and Templars sliced through 100 more. Tired from a long journey westwards and unable to find the other 200, the Templars temporarily gave up their pursuit.
But as the natives of the old colonial regions were absorbed or eliminated, new threats appeared on the Western borders, in the plains:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany240BCSiouxLands.png
The Sioux, under their leader Crazy Horse, had assembled a massive army of 18,700 natives, backed up by hundreds of thousands of civilians willing to take up arms as well. They ruled the northern Great Plains with combinations of settlements and nomads. They even raided our frontier to prevent us from expanding further west. Without artillery from Pirate Ships, only sheer force of numbers could defeat such a deadly menace.

--- Unexpected Gains ---

While a shortage of manpower made many assume the large province of Arabic Libya would fall to the hordes of Songhai Impi, re-inforcements arrived from Europe at the last moment, and the result was the fall of Abu Dhabi, greatly enhancing our hold in North Africa. It also yielded to us a source of valuable saltpeter.
With the fall of Abu Dhabi, we sealed off a second front against the Arabs. We hoped to conquer their homeland, while our four African allies would partition Arab East Africa.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany240BCAbuDhabi.png

WOW!!! an update!!
btw, could you show us a world map of the territories gained/conquered this post?

Incredible read! I've been enjoying this all night. Please keep it up!

Oh my god, it's an update. Huzzah!

Awesome conquests. Your meditteranean empire will soon be complete. By the way, after the next update, could we have a world map to see your new conquests?

=== 230 BC ===
In the IBT, the decaying Greek city-states(Knossos in Africa and Omsk in Russia) bring Persia into an allegiance against the Turkic tribes of Central Asia. We expected the immediate desecration of Northern Persia. Merely a week later, Greece signed a peace treaty with Turkistan. Essentially, Persia had just agreed to it's own destruction.
Zululand and Egypt agree to a war against Mongolia.
At the same time, China does not wish to extend our agreements for their precious Buddha relics. Requiring these relics to continue the vast construction of an Asian-designed fleet, we renegotiate.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany230BCChinaTrade.jpg
We more then double our payments to China, from 43 gold per term to 90 gold per term. We hope the deal will keep China from attacking us - as their riders had recently gone through Siberia.
China does not assault us. The Kaiser is relieved a war of global implications did not occur. However, the East Asians show stupidity. The Japanese contact the Reich asking for a right of passage and an alliance against the Persians. As Germany still had to supply Persia with gold for the next century, we refuse.
The Arabs assault Memphis, which is lightly defended and as a result falls.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany230BCMemphistakenbyArabs.jpg
However, we have a massive army ready to retake it, and sea-based artillery to help.
Greece is also declared war upon by Scandinavia and Cambodia, agents of India.
--- Offensive on Arabia ---
Not wanting to embolden the Arabic forces, we decided to strike back viciously. We assaulted Mecca, and at the cost of 600 swordsmen, killed 400 musketmen.
At the cost of 400 soldiers, we managed to slaughter the whole garrison of Memphis, and the Pyramids once again were European.
From the harbor of Memphis, we also destroyed most of the remaining Arab musketmen outside the city. With their troops demoralised and without supplies, we left it to our allies to exterminate them, while we advanced on the jewels of the Arabic empire - Mecca and Aden.
Arabic forces were caught by surprise in their holy city of Mecca, where their empire was first founded. They found themselves assaulted by both the legendary Templars and the powerful Asian Pirate ships. The amphibious assault claimed the lives of their best men.
700 killed Templars resulted in the loss of 700 musketmen on the Arab side. At the cost of only 100 more men and the death of 100 more musketmen, the mayor of the city and the governor of the region surrendered to us.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany230BCMecca.jpg
One of the greatest chokepoints in the Arab peninsula now belonged to Germany. From there, we would have a secure base to invade Aden and the other towns and cities of Arabia.
Of course, 1/3 of the city resisted us.
With Mecca, Arabia lost it's saltpeter. We expected their hordes of musketmen to slowly shrink into oblivion.
A band of 400 Arabic insurgents was massacred in a battle in the desert with minimal casualties. While some troops advanced on Aden, others were to take Bahrain - and give us control of the Persian Gulf.
-- Battle of Bahrain --
Bahrain was located on the southern coast of the Persian Gulf, nestled in a strategic, sheltered location. It also served as a thrusting point of supply lines into German territory. Thus, it was necessary to sieze it. 200 Templars gave their lives to destroy 400 musketmen. The worst part about Bahrain was it was so far away from our fleets they couldn't back it up - they would risk destruction in the "Gray Zone", where India's Pirate Mercenaries reigned supreme.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany230BCBahrainFalls.jpg
800 more Templars were lost destroying the 800-man garrison. With their destruction, Bahrain fell, and the valuable pearls of Arabia were also re-possessed for German use.
-- War Plans --
The German Military Council came up with a plan to surround and destroy the Arabs in their own homeland. We would move south and attack Aden directly, while a smaller detachment would move from Bahrain to capture Muscat, and the city of Salalah - halfway between the two ends of the Southern peninsula. With Aden surrounded and eventually captured, we could sit back and relax as our allies carved up Arabic Africa for their own personal ends. Besides, we would take over all our allies given the time and energy.
-- Changes in the World's Borders --
We also noticed that Yamama in East Africa had fallen to the Zulu. The Soviet Union had used the impressive resources of the Red Army to recapture Omsk from Greece. We hoped the Songhai would conquer the city of Knossos and eliminate the last Greek blemish in the world. With the fall of the Greeks, we would be the only European people to have a claim to fame, with the British marooned on their isle of Greenland and the Russians in Siberia's dense forests. The Germans would have the great legacy, not their Greek predecessors.
Egypt also eliminated the Arabic outposts of West Africa. Essentially, the Arab empire was in shambles, as it's homeland and colonies were ripped apart, and it was losing territory to the primitive Zulu.
-- War on the Natives --
The Sioux tribe, as previously mentioned, was dangerous. We sent a large force of troops to eliminate one of their southern branches. 6,000 Templars met 26,000 Sioux warriors in the Battle of the Plains. 1,600 Germans died that day to massacre the 26,000 Sioux troops. With part of our border secure, we planned to kill their leader in a second battle further north. Once the Sioux were destroyed, we could advance into the North American continent. Our explorers yearned to explore and settle the interior, and reach the Pacific Ocean at the other end.
The last hostile tribes in Cuba were finally put down this year. With the core of our Caribbean Empire secure, we intended to land troops in Texas to begin our gradual penetration into the heart of North America.
-- Naval Manueveres --
Germany acted to eliminate Piracy and the Soviet Fleet from it's waters. Our powerful mercenary Pirates sank another flotilla of Chinese vessels, and bombed other ones. We attacked Soviet galleys in the northern waters, and recruited their crewmen to serve the German cause.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany230BCWorld.png

The Map of the World from 230 BC. Lands captured in the in-between years since the last world map post are blue with dark blue outlining.

Zululand has taken the city of Yamama from the Arabs, while Omsk in Russia has fallen to the Soviet Union(aka Russia in the game).

China keeps sending troops through Canada to attack us, while India is sending ships via the straits of South Africa. We will need to gain naval bases in the Indian Ocean if we are to gain some breathing room. That's what our 80 HP Templar Army outside Cambodia is for. :nuke: :muhaha: :nuke:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/Taniciusfox/Germany230BCWorld.png

The Map of the World from 230 BC. Lands captured in the in-between years since the last world map post are blue with dark blue outlining.
Neat! Whats your next move going to be? Pushing into Russia or USA? Neutralizing someone?

Here's my opinions on what I think would be good ideas.

Watch out for the west Africans. Although your empire in the mediterranean is complete, they might pose a naval threat.

I suggest you also push further into south Asia. India could prove very dangerous once what I think is Persia is gone.

Originally Posted by Gelion: Neat! Whats your next move going to be? Pushing into Russia or USA? Neutralizing someone?

I think it would be a good idea to put more settlements in America, not necessarily conquest. Perhaps expanding into Florida or Alabama?

Anyway, excellent, excellent job. Very impressive. :king::goodjob::bowdown:

Neat! Whats your next move going to be? Pushing into Russia or USA? Neutralizing someone?

The current campaign is against the remaining free territories of Europe - in the hands of the Slavs(renamed from the Celts) and the Turkistani people. While we're liberating those last territories, we'll also take over Central Asia to keep India from taking it.

We're also looking at expansion in Brazil and Texas. We aim to create a chain of colonies linking the Eastern Seaboard to the Pacific Coast. Once that's done, we'll send out 'Conquistadores' to vanquish and annex the cities of the Inca and Aztecs. Once everyone but the most far-flung countries is under our rule(and we've dealt a good blow to China and India in a war), I think this game will be wrapped up. ;)

Here's my opinions on what I think would be good ideas.

Watch out for the west Africans. Although your empire in the mediterranean is complete, they might pose a naval threat.

I suggest you also push further into south Asia. India could prove very dangerous once what I think is Persia is gone.



I think it would be a good idea to put more settlements in America, not necessarily conquest. Perhaps expanding into Florida or Alabama?

Anyway, excellent, excellent job. Very impressive. :king::goodjob::bowdown:

Actually, the map is misleading. Though Songhai holds a vast coastline, they only have 3 coastal cities. One's in West Africa in Cape Verde, while the other two are in modern Libya.

The only real threat to us navally is India and China(who for some odd fecking reason keep sending Pirates through South Africa and Canada respectively to pwn our fleets. Similar to real-life privateering in the New World?) We hope Indonesia will gain enough population to become a threat to the Chinese - Indian naval power, but we doubt it. In the meantime, we have conquered Arabia proper, and intend to sieze Socotra. For peace with the Arabs, we'll demand their naval bases in Africa. This will enable us to monitor India's power far more effectively. China's another matter, but with the coming conquest of Southeast Asia by our 80 HP army, I think we'll have a point of attack...

Great thread, I read it all today... I have no life... Oh well back to C3C its calling me.

I love the story , what is the map, and when is the update ?

I love the story , what is the map, and when is the update ?

The Map is Teturkhan's most recent mod. :)

The update I'm not so sure. I've been running about 4 stories simultaneously. I don't do this one as much because of the epic in-between-turn times involved.

But I'll try to get back to it, as I know this is a fairly popular one. ;)

"Dear citizens of this world,

The time has come I reveal the truth about the mighty European Empire and it's government. Since time immemorial, I, the immortal Marius Shadouno, have ruled with the blessings of my pantheon over the German people, nurturing them from a tiny city to a vast empire that rules much of the world. I have ruled behind the curtain with your Kaisers, both great and feeble.

But alas, I seem to be multipresent, ruling in numerous worlds, not just this one. The foolish scientists may call this fiction, but it is the truth. In one world, I control a vast empire that controls the Mediterranean, only having taken power myself once, faking my death to conceal my true identity, while ruling through my "descendants." In yet another, I have shaken hands with the numerous Presidents of the United States, leading them to world domination against their hated foes in Britain. On one, I rule in the name of my god, having ruled since the dawn of man. Truly, I am everywhere.

But this world is too slow, too laid back for my tastes. The great balance of power prevents much movement, while it seems the days pass by like tortoises. By contrast, in all my other worlds, time flies like a bird; I was on my "deathbed" before I had even began my fake reign in one of them! I have thus decided... that I shall resign from this world's affairs, and sit back as an observer.

Yet, ye need not worry. Those of you who question Germany's future with my resignation as secret Kaiser will now be able to grasp the reins of power in my place. I have placed the good word in with El Gran Erizo, the Dark Lord, the Shadanshad, and he says he is willing to give whoever wishes to take my place the same immortality I possess. You will be able to take over my position, while I retreat into (greater) obscurity. Do not be afraid; I shall return to guide you some day, perhaps.

But until my next coming... I bid you all, be you German, Chinese, Indian, American or otherwise, farewell. Remember, the road ahead will be long and tough, and I will be watching you from the sidelines."

-"Marius Shadouno", mythical figure of the many worlds.

To paraphrase that epic wall of text above, I will be ending this story, or at least my authorship of it. I am posting a save game file, and you will be allowed to take over and build the First Reich in my place. Feel free to continue this thread on your own time and words, and should you give up, please be courteous and post a save of where you left off so others may continue.

My deepest apologies, but the game's IBT is too epic for my taste. I wish you all better luck. :)

:cry::sad::hatsoff::wallbash::dunno::aargh:[pissed]:thanx::spear::(

All appreciate your steadfast commitment. And so we order the armed legions of sacred Germany to hold arms and issue the salute. Fare well, grand kaiser!

What manofaction2053 said


But you sir, Mr. Fox, are the king of stories :king: