AT THE DAWN OF TIME, farsighted Ragnar Lodbrok, named for his colourful
breeches, leader of the Scandinavian tribe, had lead his people to a hill by a
lake. On the fields to the west wild Wine abunded, and the eastern Forests were
rife with Game. There were even rumour of Tobacco leaves growing in the north.
"Hunting, wine and then a smoke," Ragnar thought to himself. "This is a good
place to settle down," he said. And so he did.
RAGNAR'S WAS A TRIBE of Seafaring Warriors, ready to conquer the world, afraid
of no one. "A maiden or two before that smoke would be fine," Ragnar was
thinking, and spoke: "A strong army has not only strong soldiers, but many. We
shall learn how to store our corn and multiply faster. We shall turn our minds
to military matters only later. Now make me pots, cups and a Granary!"
AFTER ONLY A SINGLE group of Warriors, the personal lifeguard of Ragnar, had
been trained at Nidaros, or Trondheim as it would later be known, the capital
built its Granary and was concerned for a very long time solely with the
population growth in Ragnar's realm. After the Granary was completed, the
Game-rich Forest was felled, and lo! The Game stayed on the irrigated fields
ever providing an extra source of food.
"WE SHALL SEND SETTLERS out to found a new town on every fourth gathering of the
Thing," said Ragnar, and from the year 2190 BC onwards he could hold his
promise. The Thing was when Scandinavian chiefs came together to make decisions.
At first, the Thing had gathered every fifty years, later it would be every
forty and then every twenty five years.
BEFORE THE FIRST GROUP OF SETTLERS had left Nidaros, foreigners came wandering
by to marvel at the town of Nidaros, where Wine was flowing in rivers in inns
and taverns since hundreds of years. First came French freemasons bringing the
knowledge of Masonry, then Portuguese magics, knowledgeable in Ceremonial Burial
and Bronze Working. "I'm sure these tribes will be useful at some time," Ragnar
thought as he was sitting on his throne thumbing the edge of his sword. "Not
now. Not now."
4000 BC Discover Warrior Code
4000 BC Discover Alphabet
4000 BC Found Trondheim
3600 BC Connect Wines
3400 BC Meet France
3350 BC Discover Pottery
3350 BC Learn Masonry
3000 BC Meet Portugal
3000 BC Learn Ceremonial Burial
3000 BC Learn Bronze Working
2950 BC Build Granary
2670 BC Found Bergen
2270 BC Found Copenhagen
2110 BC Found Reykjavik
IF FARSIGHTED RAGNAR had plans for war, nothing of them was to be seen or heard.
He instructed his sages to invent the art of Writing, to make a Code of Laws and
to found schools of Philosophy. He was also keen to learn about far-away lands
and ordered many Curraghs to be sent out scouting from Coast to Coast. This way
he was able to learn many a military lore through peaceful trade as well as the
locations and inclinations of other tribes and their land.
THE SCANDINAVIANS WERE REWARDED for Ragnars foresight in 1350 BC, when
Government was reformed to become a Republic. Ever more gold flowed into
Ragnar's coffers, and ever more he spent on research. "Will he ever be ready for
war?" Archers sitting in their Barracks or hunting Barbarians asked themselves.
"If this goes on much longer, we will all go Berserk!" Little did they know how
right they were. But Ragnar also had wild Horses caught and Horsemen trained.
"Berserks are fine on ships, but they are vulnerable and slow on land," he
opined.
2070 BC Discover Writing
1950 BC Found Oslo
1750 BC Found Stockholm
1675 BC Found Birka
1650 BC Meet Ottomans
1600 BC Discover Code of Laws
1600 BC Learn Mysticism
1600 BC Learn The Wheel
1600 BC Learn Iron Working
1600 BC Learn Horseback Riding
1575 BC Found Aarhus
1525 BC Meet Celts
1500 BC Meet Byzantines
1500 BC Learn Mathematics
1475 BC Meet Hittites
1475 BC Establish Anarchy
1450 BC Discover Philosophy
1450 BC Discover The Republic
1450 BC Meet Netherlands
1425 BC Meet Inca
1375 BC Found Stavanger
1350 BC Establish Republic
1350 BC Learn Polytheism
1350 BC Meet England
1325 BC Connect Silks From France
1300 BC Meet Babylon
1250 BC Discover Literature
1250 BC Learn Map Making
1225 BC Meet Sumeria
1175 BC Found Odense
1100 BC Connect Horses
1075 BC Found Hareid
1075 BC Meet Spain
1075 BC Meet Maya
1025 BC Meet Korea
1025 BC Found Molde
0925 BC Meet Carthage
AT LAST, with the discovery of Construction, the Scandinavian civilization
entered the Middle Age. And as Ragnar was no petty ruler, he made sure that the
more scientifically minded of his fellow tribes were able to do the same. The
Sumerians and the Byzantines promptly discovered the art of Engineering, the
Koreans and the Ottomans developed Monotheism whereas the Babylonians described
a system of Feudalism. In exchange for The Republic, they all agreed to initiate
the Scandinavians into their new knowledge. It was now clear that Ragnar had
ordered the invention of Literature in vain. He silently kept it to himself.
RAGNAR NOW SET ABOUT to consolidate his position in the world. He established
overseas Embassies and fomented wars where he was in an alliance tied to a peace
treaty with one party in each, making sure that all tribes involved had the
knowledge of The Republic. This way, War Unhappiness would force them to
eventually sue for peace, and when they did, they would have to declare war on
Scandinavia, producing War Happiness there. Ragnar would then reverse the
alliance and wait for a repetition.
THE FIRST WAR where Ragnar's own troops were involved was an attack on France
for the nearest cities, where Silk was produced. They then went on as the
Eastern army to crush Portugal while a Western army was produced at home for the
final destruction of France. From the Portuguese war there returned a Great
Military Leader, who oversaw the rapid construction of a Forbidden Palace. This
was the signal for the Berserks of the Western army to join the fray.
A GOLDEN AGE had begun just before France ceased to be more than a notice in old
books of history.
0925 BC Discover Construction
0925 BC Enter Middle Ages
0925 BC Learn Monotheism
0925 BC Learn Engineering
0925 BC Learn Feudalism
0925 BC Embassy Inca
0925 BC Embassy Maya
0925 BC War Maya
0925 BC PT/A Inca v. Maya
0900 BC Found Alesund
0875 BC Embassy Spain
0875 BC Peace Spain Mistake
0825 BC War France
0750 BC Connect Iron
0750 BC Meet Arabia
0730 BC Embassy Babylon
0730 BC PT/A Babylon v. England
0690 BC Connect Silks
0690 BC Learn Monarchy
0670 BC Embassy Hittites
0670 BC Embassy Netherlands
0670 BC War Hittites
0670 BC PT/A Netherlands v. Hittites
0630 BC Found Bodo War Unhappiness
0630 BC Embassy Korea
0610 BC Peace France
0590 BC War Portugal
0590 BC Embassy Sumeria
0590 BC War Sumeria
0590 BC PT/A Korea v. Sumeria
0550 BC War Inca War Happiness!
0550 BC PT/A Maya v. Inca
0550 BC Discover Invention
0450 BC Embassy Arabia
0450 BC Embassy Celts
0450 BC War Celts
0450 BC PT/A Arabia v. Celts
0430 BC War Netherlands War Happiness!
0430 BC PT/A Hittites v. Netherlands
0390 BC Emerge Military Great Leader
0390 BC Destroy Portugal
0330 BC PT/A Babylon v. England
0330 BC PT/A Spain v. England
0330 BC War France
0310 BC Build Forbidden Palace
0310 BC Enter Golden Age
0290 BC Destroy France
RAGNAR WAS NOW sole ruler on his island. He had prepared Galleys in the east and
in the west to continue his conquests overseas. He trained a Royal Guard of
Warriors to control the supply of Iron in his land, so that Horsemen could be
trained also after the discovery of Chivalry and then upgraded to Knights in
their Barracks. But where would the armies go?
OF GEOPOLITICAL NECESSITY, the Eastern army was bound for the island shared by
the Byzantines, the Inca and the Maya. But Ragnar feared for the safety of his
Galleys lest they be attacked by Byzantine Dromons with their Greek Fire, so he
negotiated a Right of Passage with Constantinople and attacked the Inca with an
amphibious army corps consisting of Berserks in Galleys. Many of these Berserks
were trained in combat by fighting large settlements of Barbarians found on
islands in the north and so were already elite as they fought their first city.
A smaller group of Galleys shuttled Knights into Byzantine lands while the
Berserk Galleys sailed on to attack England. As both Indian civilizations were
well on the way of being subjugated, the Knights turned on the Byzantines from
within.
THE NEAREST TARGET for the western army was the Ottomans. But the Ottomans were
a friendly and rich neighbour involved in many trade deals. "Also," Ragnar
reasoned, "being close means being within reach to be attacked later." Ragnar's
mind had finally turned completely to military matters. He ordered his Galleys
to go on to the Netherlands instead, under a Right of Passage agreement with the
Ottomans, where two Great Wonders of the World, coveted by Ragnar, were located:
The Great Lighthouse and The Statue of Zeus. "Later they may have trained a
large army of Ancient Cavalry and posted Swiss Guards in their cities!" Ragnar
rambled.
THE WARS WENT WELL and soon a second Military Great Leader was produced as a
Berserk fought out of a Galley. In order to save the Leader from his awkward
hovering over the boat, one of the Berserks had to disembark. As Babylon, with
whom Scandinavia had an Alliance against England tied to a peace treaty,
destroyed England, no War Happiness ensued in Scandinavia, only war.
0270 BC Embassy Byzantines
0270 BC Embassy Carthage
0270 BC Embassy Ottomans
0270 BC Right of Passage Byzantines
0190 BC PT/A Korea v. Sumeria
0170 BC Discover Chivarly
0170 BC War Babylon
0170 BC War Spain
0130 BC Peace Maya Forgot to renew alliance
0070 BC Capture Amsterdam with The Great Lighthouse
0070 BC Connect Ivory
0070 BC Emerge Military Great Leader
0050 BC PT/A Arabia v. Celts
0030 BC War Arabia War Happiness!
0030 BC PT/A Celts v. Arabia
0030 BC PT/A Hittites v. Netherlands
0010 BC Capture Rotterdam with The Statue of Zeus
0010 BC Destroy Netherlands
0010 BC War Hittites
0010 BC PT/A Spain v. Babylon
0010 AD Produce Ancient Cavalry
0030 AD Flip Cuzco We lose our Army with two Knights
0030 AD Pop Hut Maps
0050 AD Flip Copán to Maya
0050 AD Emerge Military Great Leader
0050 AD Destroy Inca
0050 AD Connect Spices
0070 AD Build Heroic Epic
0090 AD Exit Golden Age
0110 AD Produce Ancient Cavalry
0110 AD War Byzantines Right of Passage abuse
0110 AD Emerge Military Great Leader
0110 AD Capture Constantinople with The Mausoleum of Mausollos
0110 AD Destroy Byzantines
0190 AD Capture Ur with The Colossus and The Hanging Gardens
0190 AD War Maya
0190 AD Capture Chichén Itza with The Pyramids
0190 AD War Ottomans Right of Passage abuse
0190 AD Capture Istanbul with The Great Library
0210 AD Produce Ancient Cavalry
0210 AD Destroy Maya
RAGNAR WAS NOW just churning out troops and moving them as best as he could to
the front, which was steadily moving further and further away. Luckily, the
Berserks survived most attacks and could heal on their Galleys underway to the
next target. The Western army continued eastwards to Korea, Sumeria and almost
full circle through Arabia to the Celts, which were the last to go. The Eastern
army arrived from the north after having fought Carthage on the way.
NEAR THE END, Ragnar had to order the destruction of some small and isolated
captured towns in order not to break the ancient Scandinavian taboo against
World Domination.
0210 AD PT/A Korea v. Sumeria
0250 AD War Korea War Happiness!
0250 AD PT/A Sumeria v. Korea
0250 AD PT/A Hittites v. Korea
0270 AD Capture Seoul with The Great Wall
0270 AD War Carthage
0280 AD Flip Istanbul
0280 AD Produce Ancient Cavalry
0290 AD Destroy Korea
0300 AD Destroy Ottomans
0310 AD Destroy Hittites
0310 AD PT/A Celts v. Arabia
0310 AD Destroy Babylon
0310 AD War Spain
0320 AD Capture Sumer with The Temple of Artemis
0320 AD Destroy Sumeria
0330 AD Produce Ancient Cavalry
0330 AD Emerge Military Great Leader
0350 AD Emerge Military Great Leader
0360 AD War Celts War Happiness!
0380 AD Produce Ancient Cavalry
0380 AD Destroy Arabia
0400 AD Destroy Spain
0400 AD Destroy Carthage
0410 AD Reach Domination
0440 AD Build The Pentagon
0450 AD Flip Entremont
IN 470 AD, RAGNAR RULED THE WORLD.
