[Rhye's and fall of Civilization] Ravellion the cautious, Tyrant of Rome AAR

[Ravellion]

The Italian peninsula was peaceful. It would soon be united. Publius, advisor to Ravellion, the tyrant of rome, spoke to his lord.

"The peninsula will soon be ours, for the glory of Rome. What do you propose we do next?"
"Attack Greece. Take our entire fleet and all our legions, and land them right in between Sparta and Athena. Our new equipment and tactics should crush them easily. I will lead the army personally."
"Very well Caesar."

During a short and pleasant voyage across the Adriatic, Ravellion and Publius discussed Greece. "So Greece is a powerful nation, advanced, and cultured?"
"yes Caesar"
"Those treasures in Athena will be magnificent... still I can't help but feel... vulnerable."
"Caesar?"
"What if other nations emerge, who, like us, have much more advanced technology. We are only able to crush the Greeks because of our knowledge of Iron Working. It makes our legions stronger than any troops we could find in Italy. What if there is a metal even stronger and better than Iron, and, say, the minor tribes in Spain somehow manage to forge it into weapons?"
"I see where you are going Caesar."
"We must hold on to our technological advantage. Hold the fleet. I am meeting with this Alexander... before we crush him."



"How did it go, Ravellion?"
"Excellent. With Greek and Roman knowledge, we shall be able to defend our knowledge against all others. The Greeks will never be able to use the knowledge we traded them. Before a single smith has learned our craft, the nation will be ours. Send forth our Legions."
"Caesar! A ship on the Horizon! It is the legendary Egyptians!"
"hrmph. I am not impressed. That is more like a fishing vessel. Undoubtedly the Egyptians sent a ship with some diplomatic emmisary. Hail them."



"They certainly weren't happy to see us."
"Publius, I am actually surprised they sent diplomats to Greece! They utterly despise the Greeks, and consider them to be their worst enemies. We are guilty by association, in their eyes. Word of our technology has even spread to them. However, their annoyance towards us because of our sharing of knowledge with the Greeks is meaningless. We could crush them easily, and they do not have the knowledge of seaworthy vessels. On to Greece!"

 

[Ravellion]

"We have suffered some serious losses sir! A full one fourth of our Legions has perished in the battle of Athena"
"The first battle of Athena"
"Caesar?"
"something tells me that this is not the last battle for Athena. What about Sparta?"
"We let some surviving Greeks flee to Sparta, as you instructed. Soon, we will know if your ploy worked."
"Oh, it will. The Spartans are wimps. Besides, the soothsayers here are very trustworthy, and have confirmed to me the fear in the hearts of the Spartans. Build them a grand temple. This will also help pacify the Athenians. They will marvle at the structure which we are going to construct. Anyway, the Spartans will surrender before the day has passed. Send on our troops to Byzantos after they have resupplied!"
"Yes Caesar!"



After several weeks, reports came in from far flung corners of the world. Unknown cities such as Hattusas had been captured by the greeks, and this would certainly mean that wiping out the Greeks would be very hard for Caesar Ravellion. Perhaps the technology should have remained safe in Roman hands...

Soon after however, unexpectedly the Carthaginians aligned themselves with the Roman civilization, and the newly renamed Constantinopolis was a safe barrier for the Roman empire. Walls would in time ensure that no-one could breach the city. Ravellion dreamt of walls that would last the test of time.

A big shock happened a century and a half later. Ravellion VI and his advisor Tiberius heard of a startling discovery made in the Jewish city of Athena, right after the Oracle was made. Jewish acolytes predicted that in 350 years from that exact moment* a Messiah would walk the earth. One such acolyte went to Mediolanum. A faith in these future happenings erupted quickly in that city. Soon Ravellion the VI converted, and with him, the Roman nation. Ravellion the VII would even go so far as to pronounce a thocratic government.



Barbarians were already at the gates of mediolanum. Rome would defend itsel for hundreds of years against these heathens. Confident that none of these barbarians would be wise enough to see the light that was Christianity, many emperors would not venture forth from the Greco-Roman lands.

* A method of counting these years was developed, but it would be many years before it would be formalised and perfected.

 

[MSTK]

Love the mod, love the story. Keep it up. Stories like these always turn into an interesting alternate history story.

 

[Ravellion]

Around the prophecized time, during the building of the Pyramids, Ravellion ordered the attack of Lugdunum. Not all agreed with him.

"But Caesar! We can barely hold on to Carthago! Why do you wish to venture out to capture the Gaul settlement? The Gauls will surely try and take it back with everything they have! Many legions will die in defence!"
"You are part right. Many Gauls will attack Lugdunum. Lugdunum has steep hills and fast flowing rivers. If we build city walls in Lugdunum, we will be able to hold it indefinitely. The advantage is obvious: we will be able to make use of the lands surrounding mediolanum. Roman soil hould not feed Gauls and Germans!

Caesar's will was done, and Lugdunum captured. Soon after, The Pyramids of Rome were built, and a method of tracking time introduced. The year? 270 AD.



With everyone in awe of the Great Pyramid, the Caesar installed a harsher regime. The praetorians now controlled the state, and with them, Rome controlled all aspects of each citizen's life. Dissent against the wars in Carthago and Lugdunum withered. Troops were trained quickly, and instilled with religious fervor.

Such a state can not remain cautious. Such a nation can not hide behind walls indefinitely. Slowly, Roman legions would set out and take barbarian settlements. At least, that was the plan.

Some peace remained. Caralis was found in 280 AD. This settlement would never know the hardship of war. But 70 years later, just as Rome planned to take out the barbarian threat of Gaul, the Judaic Egyptians declared a war against the Roman Christians. The romans wondered whether completing the Pantheon world wonder simply left too many idle hands in Egypt, or the religious motive was more important.

Lpqy was renamed Leptis Magna upon capture around 500 AD. The Egyptians were no match for the Roman legions. Salonae was founded across the Adriatic from Rome, but a real problem started to emerge for the Italian nation. The costs of an Empire were too high to sustain.



This troubled the empire for many years. Economic collapse seemed imminent - the Persians could perhaps surpass the Romans if this was not remedied! Or perhaps even the Greeks!

One person was not at all bothered with things such as barbarian raids or economic collapse. Although all of the empire was Christian, Athena remained solely Jewish. It was Jewish priests who studied the texts of the Oracle, even though the Oracle seemed far more forthcoming with Christian prophecies. One of those Jewish priests was Mahavira, born in 570 AD. After years of studying the prophecies of the Oracle, he had an epiphany. He saw how the two faiths were linked. In fact, he suspected that a jewish carpenter, that died peacefully many years ago in Yerushalayim, actually was the messiah for Christianity. The Oracle had prophecized that it would be the Romans that took the Messiah's life, (which was laughed off by Roman theologians, as they believed no such thing could happen in the Roman Theocratic Police State) but this had not come to pass.

The only reason why he could acquire this knowledge, was because information from the east slowly trickled in since the Arabian assault on the Greek civilization made hellenistic culture collapse completely.



Under Arab control, some information made it way to Athena. And in 610AD, when Mahavira was 40 years old he recreated the scene that must have taken place in 0 AD Yerushalayim, right in the middle of the Christian holy city Mediolanum.



This empowered the church a great deal, and with church and state inseperable in Rome, the Empire's economy flourished. This development was also aided by the improvements in shipping and Roman ports, symbolised magnificently by the Colossus of Rome, standing tall, guarding the Pyramids.



Mahavira returned to Athena in 630 AD, when he was 60 years old, and with his return finally brought Christianity to Athena.

 

[Ravellion]

Remember though, this is Rome, led by hot-blooded Romans, and peace, economy, faith and great wonders are not what made Rome. Rome is Rome because Romans wield sword and shield.

Horrida Bella



Carthago, too, was under attack. Egyptian catapults and axemen, as well as barbarian Camel Archers, tried to oust the Romans. Reinforcements had to be brought from Rome. This extended conflict for one city lasted well over a century.



In 800 AD, with Rome and Egypt still at war, the Gauls put aside their internal struggles, and became a nation under the name "France". Rome had to make a decision. Should they choose to attack France, they had to take into account that Lugdunum was never more than a mere fortress with barely enough people living inside it to refer to it as a city. The rest of Gaul had no Roman infrastructure and was next to worthless. It would take two or three centuries before the region would carry its own economic weight.



The economic worries for the empire were over however. The Great Lighthouse had been built in Athens in 720AD, and Mediterranean trade flowed freely between Roman towns. A multitude of ships arrived every day on every portcity of Rome, large and small alike.

The zeal of the Romans is what made them attack the rising French civilization. Having missed the birth, life and death of their messiah, their souls were burdened. Theologians argued on how to save a soul that was damned by original sin? Some priests were trying to convince people that buying indulgences would save their soul. Mediolanum became a rich city as a result of that. Many other ideas existed, but one that was becoming more and more prevalent originated in the higher ranks of the Praetorians. The idea was that salvation had to be earned by deeds of valour in the field.

France never had a hope of surviving the slow but steady full mobilization of Rome, especially when the unthinkable happened. An Egyptian emissary came to Rome, and in front of the Roman pyramids, peace was discussed. A war that had lasted hundreds of years was suddenly at an end.



In 810 AD, the combined Gaul armies had donned French Fleur-de-Lis banners, and was united in the easternmost tip of France. They would have been crushed, were it not for the fact that many Praetorians and Archers had grown symathetic to the French in their many years of being stationed in Lugdunum, Burdigala and Lutetia. Many Roman troops switched sides, making the situation for the Romans quite dire by 920 AD, who had only managed to recapture Lugdunum after it had been captured by the French after a rather inept centurion sold out to the French.

While the war went on, some Romans settled East, and Athenae finished the Great Library. In Sarmatia Europea and Napoca Romans traded peacefully with Germans and fished the Black sea. Here is an overview of the European continent 950 AD.



By 1070 Paris was the last remaining French city. The Romans were now at war with the Germans and the Persians too. By 1100, the French were history, and a relatively short part of it too. The Spiral minnaret was built in Athens in 1120, dampening the economic blow somewhat from taking so many foreign cities into the empire.

"Whatever happened to caution, Caesar? Staying safe behind walls?"
"That is what constantinopolis is for. We are building a magnificent palace and seat of government there. If you wish, you could go there instead of here. I prefer it here. Sarmatae Europa, the frontier."
"Respectfully, Caesar Ravellion, you are not like your ancestors."
"I am exaclty like my ancestors. I have learned a valuable lesson from history. I just combine the knowledge of two of my ancestors."
"Interesting Ravellion, but care to elaborate?"
"Alexander's Greek civilization lasted for 2000 years, Publius. He had contingencies. Even with the core of his empire gone, his civilization could withstand the blow. It took an army of more troops than even we have ever had, and an army so densely amassed, there was no withstanding it, to eradicate the Greeks"
"The Arabs would have been no match for us, surely!"
"Of course not. I think that if the Greeks still had their original lands, they would have survived."
"So what are you saying Ceasar?"
"We can easily expand now. We have troops, infrastructure, laws to govern far settlements, a powerful culture. It would be cautious to expand, not remain the size we are now."
"What if something like the Gaul uprisig happens again?"
"Then having German, Greek, and Spanish troops to help finish the dogs off would be more than welcome."
"What about the Egyptians?"
"I think I might have to write a doctrine on how to deal with the Egyptians.
We will not need swords to deal with Egypt, I assure you."
"And what about the Persians and Arabs?"
"Let them speed their horses into the walls of Constantinopolis."

Some caution remained in the Caesar even then.

 

[Ravellion]

The German war was progressing nicely. This was the easiest war the Romans ever had. The battlehardened Roman Legions vanquished the green and undeserving Germans.

Sparta and Mediolanum however, were busy training missionaries. Since the open borders agreement was signed with Egypt after a gift of some technology the Romans had known of since before datekeeping, three influential missionary groups were sent into Egypt. It was poetic justice that the missionaries were sent to Egypt in boats of the same design that once carried the fleet of Legions from Rome to Athena.

And in 1150:


Rome has a friend!

That just leaves one powerful enemy - Persia. In 1200 AD, a Persian army consisting moslty of catapults, macemen and crossbowmen amasses before the walls of Constantinopolis. The Persian assault the city but the walls hold. Before the remains of the Persian army are allowed to flee back to Persia, Roman knights cut down the retreating forces. This leads to the treaty of Constantinopolis in 1210 AD.



In the same year, the Germans are pacified. An era of peace is ushered in! Let's reforge the swords into plowshares!

Or perhaps not:



In 1240 AD Saladin completes the Temple of Solomon. Knowing very well that now piligrims will swarm to Urshalim and stimulate Arabia's economy, meaning that Arabia now has the coffers to keep up this war for a while, the Romans decide they do not like this new development at all. Unfortunately, there are far more pressing matters to attend.

The victorious army returns to Rome from Germany in 1250 AD. The Ceasar sends them away... to Spain. There is no way any civilization can breach the walls of Constantinopolis, so there is nothing to be afraid of in the east. Spain is weak and vulnerable, and controlling Spain means controlling the Atlantic. Arabian galleys do disrupt trade and fishing near Athena, but they are quickly destroyed. Restoring trade and fishing is given the highest priority.

In 1260, the Roman army arrives at Spain's border. A message is sent to Isabella, ruler of Spain:


After the collapse of Madrid, all other Spanish cities unconditionally surrender themselves to the Roman cause:


In 1340 AD, Aristotle comes of age in Athena and founds an academy in his home city. Scientists from the Great Library loved discussing new ideas in all fields of knowledge in the Academy, and science flourished.

1360 was a year of great progress. Aristotle's Academy developed philosphical ideas on Liberalism, in order to further scientific advances. The Roman police state grudgingly lets Aristotle do his work. Aristotle and his peers develop a theory on money, labour and resources. They refer to it as economics.

Peter of Russia declares war in 1360 too. It would go down as an eventful year in history.

Meanwhile, North of the Black Sea, Arabian Camel archers cross through Persian lands to raid the lands around Sarmatia Europea. Roman knights with special formation tactics dispatch most of them. In 1390, the Romans offer peace to the Arabs for a reasonable price. They accept.

The war with peter is one-sided. Rome does not really want Russian lands at the moment, so it mostly involves Roman knights destroying Russian raiders. The state of war is kept, but neither side fully mobilizes. That is, till 1450AD, when the Greeks, stimulated by the ideas of Aristotle, declare independance. Sparta and Athena split off from the Roman civilization.

Rome had to set an example. Caesar Ravellion brutally crushed the independant Greeks by signing peace with Russia and moving the army there to subdue the rebels. But Athena, once a shining jewel in Rome's crown, was now reduced to embers. Never would the libraries and universities of Athens have the same ancient lustre as they did before the war of Greek independance.

 

[Ravellion]

The army sent to conquer Isabella was soon to be taken aboard a grand fleet, across the English channel, to invade England. The results were to be expected. The English civilization was completely destroyed in 1525 AD.

This outcome was expected, and with a large standing army, with little need for new troops to be trained, and dissent against the wars at an all time low, it was decided that the government should be revamped.



Also, a tariffs system against foreign imports was made, and a mercantile economy estalished. Rome had become so large and advanced that it had several de facto monopolies in the fields of engineering and science. The theory was that importing goods would hurt both the Roman economy and Roman culture. Exports to Egypt and India were still fair game. No other nation had open borders with the Roman empire.

Other nations had achievements of their own. In 1510 AD, Persian ships sailed around the world for the first time. With that remarkable feat under their belts, the Persians would prepare themselves for the second Roman-Persian war, which would be declared by the Persians in 1540 AD.

The Eastern Roman army was content, as ever, to sit garrisoned behind the walls of Constantinopolis. Besides, once again Spain demanded the attention of the larger Western Roman army. With the Western Roman army stuck in England, still recovering its numbers and regaining supplies for the voyage home, and the Eastern Roman army definitely needed defensively against Persia, Spanish rebels managed to stir up the people of Spain and declare independence from Rome in 1575 AD. Rome let them be independent till 1590 AD, when the Senators decided that the timing was right to recapture the Iberian peninsula. The Persians had similar ideas: they decided the same year was the right year to conquer Constantinopolis. The Romans were successful and had control of Spain again by 1595. The Persian troops however, were relatively inexperienced and faced the prospect of conquering the most heavily fortified city in the entire history of the World. The small garrison of Roman riflemen and cavalry managed to defeat the antiquated troops of Persia: War Elephants and Catapults.

The 17th century was a glorious time for Rome, but also one that heralded a great change.

In 1620, an outstanding and rich former merchant Roman senator who lost his young wife, used his fortune to build her a beautiful mausoleum. It was so beautiful, that its construction made it clear that there was plenty of room in the Roman republic for all the finer things in life. Images of the building were printed on leaflets, and the story inspired Romans everywhere throughout the Republic. Though it was not the goal of the senator, his Taj Mahal inspired a golden age. The great artist Virgil started to write an epic, which was to be his greatest work, in Constantinopolis. He finished it 5 years later.

During this golden age, the barbarian state of Rusadir, East of Carthage, was liberated in a joint military operation with the Egyptians. Rusdair held the largest army the world had ever seen, but it was obsolete and gunned down easily. The barbarians were using skirmish tactics against riflemen.

Ireland too, saw the glorious work now being done in the Roman empire. Though the Irish had established their own home rule when the Romans defeated the English, they now joined the Roman republic freely, impressed by the republic's culture.

Last but not least, during the 40 year golden age, the great battle of Constantinopolis was fought. Had Virgil waited to write his epic, he certainly would have found enough inspiration after that glorious battle.



The battle had started in 1625, with Cyrus's cannons tearing through the majestic walls. When the walls were sufficiently breached, cannonballs rained down upon the cavalry and riflemen divisions in the city.

Had the general in charge of defense not harried the Persian troops with a few sallies in 1625, or had Cyrus instead trained his troops specifically to take cities, Constantinopolis would have most likely fallen. Thankfully, the battle was won. The walls of Constantinopolis were still shattered however.

Without a good defense, the only good defense was a decided to be a good offense, and with new technology discovered by motivated scientists and the state coffers full because of the economic boom, the Western Roman army was upgraded and sent to conquer Persia.


The following map shows how Persia, and their Arabian friends, lost city after city.


(Note: Babylon was the Islamic holy city)

During this time, Rome also had to put down yet another Spanish and Greek rebellion, passed laws concerning emancipation, universal suffrage, state property, free speech and organized religion, met Roosevelt and converted him to christianity, saw the spread of Judaism and Hinduism as secondary religions throughout the Roman republic, and built the Statue of Liberty, the Pentagon, and the Kremlin.

Peter declared war on Rome in 1742, and the Russians lost three cities as a result (Sankt Petersburg and Uppsala were captured: both were under heavy pressure of Roman culture. Nidaros was given away to Rome as part of the 1787 treaty of Salonae).

Here is peter in front of the Kremlin in Salonae:


So in 1820, there finally is peace in Rome. What to do now?

 

[Ravellion]

State press conference, Rome, autumn of 1868.

"Anencletus, senator!"
"very well, Anencletus from the Rome Broadcasting Company, what is your question?"
"With all property within the Roman republic under direct control of the senate, you have made many reforms. The people love you for stimulating the arts, especially the theatre, with the Broadway area of Constantinopolis a major tourist draw. All the while you are providing everyone with affordable televisions and record players. But are you not afraid of Arab and Russian aggression, going unchecked without further advances in applied sciences?"
"No. If the Russians were to attack, we still have numerous troops to defend. Our technology level is so far ahead of everyone but the Americans, that I, and with me the senate, see no need to put further investment in it. Private scientists and a few state sponsored researchers are still working towards progress, mostly in the field of biology."
"But science has moved to a standstill ever since Roman state scientists discovered broadcasting!"
"You should count your lucky stars we didn't stop earlier, or you'd have no job. *other reporteres chuckle* Next question?"
"Flavius, New Roman Times, senator, may I..."
"Ah, Flavius, loved your piece on the third war of Greek independence of 1850. Very informative, well researched. Perhaps we can learn to keep them in the republic now, eh?"
"Thanks senator. It even won me a prize in America. A Pulitzer. But I have a question. With all state resources being used to basically further Roman culture, do you expect a reaction from other nations...?"
"I spoke with all 9 important world leaders at the UN in Hannover recently, and..."

When hisorians later looked back on that time, they saw it a masterstroke of geopolitical engineering. Roman culture became so pervasive across the world, the populace of any nation would revolt against their rulers should they choose to attack it. The world, in effect, became Roman.



Still, some Roman rulers always wondered what would have happened if they left the Italian peninsula sooner, and conquered as far as England and Egypt by 300 AD...

 

[Ravellion]

That ends the story/game report. Any questions? I have some demographics screens and power graphs if anyone is interested.

Oh, and please tell me what you liked and what you disliked. With some feedback, I might do some more of these.

 

[Xtream_Rockstar]

it was a good story
but u should have made it longer

 

[MSTK]

I agree...you sort of lost the storytelling theme that you had in the beginning as the game progressed.

 

[Rannos]

Very interesting and good story but you seemed to become more and more rushed as you progressed. Everything else though, was well played and well written. I've played Rome several times and found it neigh impossible to maintain any form of empire without nation rising up and handing you your arse.

 

[Ravellion]

I agree...you sort of lost the storytelling theme that you had in the beginning as the game progressed.

Hmmm... I see what you mean... from post 6 onward right? Truth be told, that's also when the game lost it's excitement for me. I'll play on emperor from now on, perhaps that will keep my attention a bit more.

In fact, had I played under v124 instead of 119, I'm pretty sure I would have had no revolts due to the large amount of happiness resources I had.

Rav

 

[MSTK]

Don't worry, I've written many civ stories. As the game goes on you start to focus less on the details than you used to...possibly because the game gets so big that you can't focus on the little things anymore. But if this is your first story, you've done a great job. Keep writing.

 

[DrewTate]

dude what map is this it looks awesome

 

[Ravellion]

It is not actually a map, it is a mod (with a custom map). It stays pretty close to the real game though.

http://forums.civfanatics.com/forumdisplay.php?f=204

You'll find information and download information there.

Rav

 

[JamesCaesar]

5 year EPIC bump!

 

[Mosher]

...This was completely pointless. Please do not bump stories that have long since died.

 

[Yoshiegg737]

..........

Why?

 

[inohotep]

5 year EPIC bump!

i did somthing like that once, except it was on like 8 different threads...all at once
(then again, at the time i didn't even know what a bump WAS)