Howard Tafty
Minister-Chairman
Maybe the Marcomanni perhaps? I'm pretty sure we have established its some sort of tribe and not established state I'm assuming.
Yeah. Can't wait for the next challenge...
(I get the feeling those are the Illyrians or other enemies of Rome)
Delhi Sultanate
Leader: Alauddin Khijli
UA: Anwatan
Upon capturing a City, all Religious Buildings in that City are destroyed and you receive Gold and Faith for it. Constructing Religious Buildings and converting Cities yields Faith - doubled on Conquered Cities.
UB: Lats (Replaces Temple)
The lats, unlike the temple it replaces, eliminates all unhappiness from occupation in cities following your religion.
UU: Jagirdars (Replaces Longswordman)
Available at Civil Service rather than Steel. May be used to convert Cities. Takes 25% less damage from Ranged Attacks if adjacent to a City following your Religion.
870 - 922 AD
To understand this civilisation, which dominated the waterways of Ukraine and European Russia around the end of the 9th century, we have to go hundreds of miles west, to Scandinavia and one of the most infamous peoples in European history - the Vikings. A land which had once been relatively barren, home to a few minor Germanic tribes, had been witnessing a population explosion which, coupled with cold winters unsuitable for sustaining large cities and a patriarchal society in which sons would grow up expecting their own land, left thousands of unlanded Norsemen itching to strike out and make their own destiny. Famously, many of these men flung themselves across the north sea in their longboats - settling down across Britain, France and the islands scattered across the North sea, some even heading as far west as Iceland and North America.
However, less well known are those intrepid sons who launched themselves East - now known as 'Varangians'. The huge rivers which criss-crossed Ukraine, Russia and Finland were perfect for the Viking longboats. These explorers pillaged as far south as Contantinople, referred to in Norse as Miklagarðr (The Big or Great City) where many were invited to stay on as part of the emperors personal bodyguards. Like their western counterparts who settled states in Normandy, Britain, Italy and the Atlantic, the Varangians eventually settled down as the slavs who lived in the region, bizzarely, invited the Norsemen to stay and rule over them, creating a short lived empire known as the Varangian or Rus' Khaganate. Eventually, the mingling of Slav and Swede created the modern Russian and Ukranian identities and formed great and powerful river based empires such as the Kievan Rus. Indeed, the most prolific and powerful of these maurauders, Rørik, founded the city of Holmgard, later Novgorod and went on to found the mighty Rurikid dynasty which ruled in Muscovy and Novgorod well into the 17th century!
Vicious pillagers, overlords of a foreign and diverse slavic population, river warlords and state-builders, the Varangians are an enigmatic people who certaintly left their mark on history, even if their short 9th century beginings in the Varangian Khaganate remain a ill-remembered mystery.
The Varangian Khaganate
Leader: Rurik
UA - Tale of Bygone Years: While at War, Great General generation is increased by 5% for every Trade Route you have. Units within 3 Tiles of a Trade Route gain double Gold from pillaging tiles and capturing cities, as well as a +10% Combat Strength bonus.
UB - Tserkov': Shrine replacement. Melee and Gun Units built here gain a promotion, "Varanginian Guard", which makes them 20% more effective outside of your own land, as well as making Pillage not cost movement. Produces an additional +1 Faith, increasing to +2 Faith if adjacent to a River.
UU - Varyag: Great General replacement. May be used to estabilish an additional Trade Route, going over the value if necessary.
"If necessary"? Wouldn't it simply increase the trade route count? And is that permanent? 'Cause that would be a bit OP.
Varangian Khangate
Rurik
UA: Waterways of Dnieper
River Connections generate an additional +1 Gold and +5% Gold for every adjacent Trading Post, +1 Faith for every adjacent River Tile, Units do not suffer Movement Penalties when crossing Rivers.
UB: Runestone (Monument)
+1 Faith for every active Trade Route, has a unique Writer Specialist Slot that upon being filled generates small sum of Culture for every advancing Era.
UU: Waregang (Longswordsmen)
Much more expensive than the Unit it replaces, has the Unique Promotion "Mercantile Guardians" allowing it to build Trading Posts equivalent to number of Promotions it has adopted, generates a "Cenatoph" within the nearest City yielding Culture since the first 5 turns of the Units death.
The Varangians
Leader: Rurik
UA: Invitation to Rule: Cities adjacent to rivers are instantly connected to the capital and have 25% more trade range. Cities have a random chance of spawning melee units depending on the number of trade routes to and from this city.
UU: Kol-Beki: Replaces the Swordsman. Does not require iron. +1 movement when starting a turn adjacent to a river and has no attack penalty when fighting across one and ignores river crossing penalties. Cities captured by a Kol-Beki get a free Caravan (once per city) even if you are at your trade limit.
UU: Companion: Stronger than the Pikeman it replaces. Companions gain +3 XP when gifted for every trade route with that civ. Gifted Companions give you +1 Gold for every level they are and give you Culture from kills.