The rise of Islam - Arab RFC
- Thread starter Mouthwash
- Start date
MaxWar
King
Good playing and an interesting read, Subbed!
Chapter 4: Sun Never Sets
In the north, a small Byzantine force came into Arab territory. The city of Konya was under defended, with only regiment of swordsmen guarding it, and the Cataphracts took advantage of the opportunity.
The camel archers mobilized and were riding toward the site before the day was out. Konya was quickly recaptured. However, this news only troubled the Caliph, Najm ad-Din Ayyub, who realized that the Byzantines would one day have to be dealt with once and for all.
In the far east, explorers met new and strange civilizations.
During this period, a new Caliph took the throne- Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, better known as Saladin. He came into power during a troubled time for the empire. In Turkey, a massive uprising was occurring. The Turkish people, which had lived for centuries in the contested lands between the Byzantines and the Caliphate, gathered an army made up of Arabs and the locals.
They had invented an explosive powder they called "gunpowder," which was used in new siege devices called cannons. As the news came that the Arabian Caliphate was the largest on Earth, Konya and north Israel defected to the newcomers, fulfilling Muhammad's prophecy that the new Ottoman empire would pose a threat to Arabia.
Their leader, Mehmed did not seem immediately hostile, however.
Unknown to Saladin, Mehmed was a Christian. A few months later, he converted the Ottoman empire to his faith, creating a threat to the Arabs that would have to be confronted eventually.
Better news came out of the East. The leader of China had offered his loyalty to Saladin. Saladin realized that with the minor drawback of of declaring war on the Japanese, who were at odds with China, this would grant him massive power and influence in the far east and lay the foundation for a worldwide empire.
Arabia gave China vital technologies and ideas, and in return, they adopted the Chinese calender and were granted access to maps of the area.
Soon after that, the southern Italian city was captured, giving Saladin complete control over Italy. A general named Ivan studying these battles rose through the ranks, and became famous for his knowledge. He traveled to Al-Quds to join the the second invasion of Europe. Ivan was a master of healing and medical techniques, and would be critical in keeping the offensive going.
In the new world, explorers discovered a new civilization, the Aztecs, tucked away in Central America. Hungry to claim this territory for themselves, Arabian lords and kings traveled to this new area.
The Arabs had given up on the Incans, who refused to allow missionaries into their territory and had food scarce lands (the secret of getting food from the mountains was unknown to the Arabs). The Aztecs, however, had rich lands with corn and deer.
The Arabs attacked with camel archers and hastily built siege equipment. Some of the native soldiers even converted to Islam and joined them in the invasion. The central city of Tenochtitlan was quickly taken and the other city razed.
Shortly after, an explosive new idea came about: Liberalism. The advocates of this idea demanded that all religions be treated as equal under the law and that all people should be allowed to speak their mind.
Saladin knew that this was blasphemy, however and arrested many of these liberals. He publicly stated that allowing freedom of religion would be a betrayal of the great prophet and an abandonment of the original goal to spread Islam to the corners of the Earth.
(I was the first to discover Liberalism [of course], and took replaceable parts. With rifles I'll be unstoppable
.)Meanwhile, the Arabian army braced for the Second Jihad against to Christians.
Turkey and China, year 1360, just before the invasion:
In 1360, a terrifying Arab army landed off the coast of Italy, prompting the Second Jihad that would bring fear into the heart of Europe.
They first invaded a small kingdom north of the Italian peninsula, then headed west toward France. (On an unrelated note, notice China is now Muslim!)
With the war begun, the trebuchets were dismantled and combined with steel to make cannons. They then headed deeper into France, dwarfing the small French army.
(The French Camel Archer was a mercenary, I believe).
In 1460, Paris is taken in a historic victory.
The rest of Europe could no longer pretend that the Arabs would leave them alone or continue colonizing the New World. They now posed a threat the the very existence of a Christian Europe.
The members of the Apostolic Palace voted on the war, and they decided overwhelmingly to stop it. While Saladin could have ignored the measure and had the members who had voted against him arrested, the public outcry from the christians in his empire was too powerful.
Saladin's plan to rule an independent Islamic French State was shattered. France was now teetering on the edge of collapse and another campaign would make the entire country crumble into civil war. The only way was to annex the rest of the territory and give part of it to Spain if the instability was too much.
However, it would be many decades before the Treaty of Paris would expire and Saladin, already old, would be dead by then. He told his son, Al-Aziz Uthman, what would have to be done to bring about an Islamic Europe. Saladin managed to make peace with Japan before dying a few weeks later of illness.
Meanwhile Arabian engineers had designed new ships called "galleons," which would allow Arabia to transport goods and supplies across the oceans much more easily (I can't believe I didn't get a picture of astronomy
. I think I used Antoine to bulb most of it).Al-Aziz was crowned Caliph and now faced an uncertain future for the largest empire in the world.
The Caliphate he inherited was a great deal larger than the one his father inherited:
MedicInDisquise
Chieftain
Holy crap. I am never a warmonger, but this massive takeover of everything not Islamic might inspire me a few strageties. 
Tomorrow's Dawn
Heroes Never Die
Christian Turks! I never thought I'd see the day.
I'm just wondering, why did you choose to not raze the (Byzantine) cities in the Turkish flip zone?
Normally as Arabia, I do that to prevent the Turks from getting any cities so I can crush them on spawn.
Great story, Mouthwash.
This is easily my favorite 2012 story so far.
P.S. That French Camel Archer shot is hilarious.
I'm just wondering, why did you choose to not raze the (Byzantine) cities in the Turkish flip zone?
Normally as Arabia, I do that to prevent the Turks from getting any cities so I can crush them on spawn.
Great story, Mouthwash.
This is easily my favorite 2012 story so far.
P.S. That French Camel Archer shot is hilarious.
They won't.
And to answer Tomorrow's question, I didn't want to crush the Turks initially because I thought they would join Islam and I would have an ally. I'll probably give their European cities to Islamic Germany.
j_mie6
Deity
subbed
phoenix_sprite
King
Good story 
Megashadow41
Chieftain
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2011
- Messages
- 12
I agree...
Can anybody help me? I wanted to post the save from last round (I keep forgetting these things) but every time I try to upload it, it says, "Could not connect to Google Chrome." Just want some advice please.
By the way, the next round is half-way done!
Although things are turning out different than I expected...
By the way, the next round is half-way done!
Although things are turning out different than I expected...Chapter 5: Tribulation
Al-Aziz Uthman's reign started off with new conquests:
Soon after, Arabs began adopting English ideas of civil service, while the English began using paper and introducing Arabian philosophy into their culture.
Down by West Africa, Arabian caravels met the Mali, led by the pious and wealthy Mansa Musa. These Mali would eventually convert to Islam and become important allies with the Caliphate.
One night, after a festival, Al-Aziz had a strange dream. In the dream, a new and powerful civilization rose up in North America. The were devout Muslims and their alliance with the Arabian empire served to propel it into superpower status.
When he asked his religious advisers, however, they were skeptical. They insisted that no great civilization could ever rise in the Americas, that it could only be civilized by colonization and conversion to Islam. But Al-Aziz knew in his heart that the dream was a prophecy, and upon hearing his advisers statements had a moment of inspiration.
He assembled a fleet of colonists, missionaries, and and a small army to keep other colonizers away. They sailed out of the Mediterranean and set course toward the distant American shores.
Over in Europe, Allah had smiled on the king. Before the Treaty of Paris had even expired, the Kingdom of France entered a civil war, losing control over their African colonies and invalidating the Treaty.
Al-Aziz was quick to push the advantage. To the Jihadists' shock, both of the French kingdoms' capitals were completely undefended!
Needless to say, they did not waste any time, annexing the territory and wiping out the small army clustered in southern France.
Far away from the European wars, the colonists finally arrive on the American east coast. Ahead of them stretched an unsettled land, rich in resources and ripe for settlement.
Al-Aziz copied his ancestors strategy, voting for his rival Suleiman in the Apostolic Palace election to gain his favor, even at the risk of making Turkey too powerful.
The effort paid off, convincing Suleiman to negotiate. He converted his empire to Islam, putting the Apostolic Palace under Muslim control and perhaps ending the Turkish threat once and for all. In addition, he signed a defensive pact with Arabia.
Al-Aziz then diverted the bulk of his Mesopotamian army to conquer India. Over in Italy, one of the generals in the European army came to prominence. His name was Subutai, and he was assigned to train soldiers in Rome.
At the same time, the American colonists settled down and began to develop the land.
The world in 1510:
In 1515, Arabia boosted their coffers by exporting books with the ideas of divine right to Germany. (I just had to post that picture. Look at his face!)
The same year, Al-Aziz Uthman died. He was to be mourned across the empire and worshipped as a hero. Before the new ruler could assume the throne, he was assassinated, prompting a power struggle among his heirs. Suleiman saw and opportunity and broke his word, launching a surprise attack on Jerusalem while the Arabian army was preparing for a war in India. (So 15 years actually passed. Sue me.)
In the aftermath of this new shock, southern Italy declared independence.
The empire began to feel the effects of discontent and instability for the first time in its history. Things were starting to look worrying.
But Suleiman had badly underestimated the Caliphate. The Arabs quickly recaptured Jerusalem and crushed the Italian revolt with much trouble.
The massive European army, led by Ivan and fully recovered from the conquest of France, began closing in on the Ottoman empire from the other direction.
A second shock came in 1540, when the Turks launched new warships called frigates, seizing control of the Mediterranean and cutting off supply routes.
(I didn't even notice that they had Chemistry!)
In the Iberian peninsula, the Portuguese, vassals of the Turks, begin making progress against Spain, although the situation there would have to wait.
Turkey came against the Caliphate with a much larger army. There was some panic, but the main armies had arrived from India, and the second Turkish invasion was a complete failure.
Meanwhile, the stability of the Caliphate was looking worse than ever.
However, a new ruler, Harun al-Rashid, who is considered one of the greatest Caliphs in Arabian history, took the throne. Under his rule an era began that would be known as the Arabian Golden Age, which likely saved the Caliphate from total collapse.
The world in 1550:
The saves (they seem to work now):
Last round: View attachment Saladin AD-1460 Turn 273.CivBeyondSwordSave
The current save: View attachment Saladin AD-1550 Turn 291.CivBeyondSwordSave
hoplitejoe
Top fun-poster
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2010
- Messages
- 5,470
Urp, I hope you are ready to rebuild your empire.
MaxWar
King
Very nice and interesting update. I liked the diplomacy with Suleiman part. A shame the traitor backstabbed you afterward.
I do not understand the stability system in RFC much, is the instability in the expansion category caused by too much or too little expansion ?
I do not understand the stability system in RFC much, is the instability in the expansion category caused by too much or too little expansion ?
WAY too much expansion. Each civ has better stability in their historical areas. It's the colonies that are killing me. But I do have a a plan, and I'm not worried about the prospect of total collapse.
strijder20
Wallowing in irony
Very nice, but why did you settle the East coast? It's worthless, IMHO, with the Americans flipping it, and there is even better land to the west.
The point of it was for the Americans to flip it. That way they'll convert to Islam.
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