Europe, 610, A.D.
Time of the Crusades. 20 years after Guntram's faithful decision to invade England, the European world is split between the forces of Christianity and Paganism. It has been 10 years since the Pope called for his crusade, and the nations of Europe had responded. The continent, ravaged with blood, was now like a giant chess board for it's powerful overlords in a battle of will and belief. Peasents longily remember the days of relative peace and security, the days before the beginning of the showdown between Catholocism and Noric Mythology.
However, in some cities the memories aren't so close. Most notable of these is Andorra la Vella, jewel of the Pyrennaese. In it's narrow paved streets, local villagers still hold their yearly festivals and celebrations, and King Guillem III rules over a land of great prosperity.
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Devante Corillo walked through the part of town from which he recieved his name. Corillo was only a days walk from Andorra la Vella, and was just as well of as it's sibling. At the end of the street he could see the sign of the pub, Enchant's place. With the influx of Frankish refugees, wine had become a strong part of Andorran culture. He quickly took his coins out of the little brown sack tied around his waist and walked inside. He was set to make his usual demand when he saw his close friend, Manuel Molné, in another corner enjoying hiw own drink.
"Manuel!"
"Devante! I hadn't seen you in days"
"I've been busy my friend, Guillem hired me for some jobs around the countryside"
"Well sit! Sit! We'll talk till sunset"
Devante happily took the offer and joined him.
The two talked for hours about their lives, families, purchases, demons, nuissances, and other such things. But inevitebly, talk turned to the war all around them.
"I remember it like it was yesterday Manuel, they posted the letter from the Pope on every corner!"
Manuel nodded, "We were still apprentices then, I remember it well. Guillem wanted no part of it"
"Wise man, we Andorrans have no business fighting in the defense of warmongering states"
Devante frowned, "Not all felt that way".
It was true. Hundreds of Andorrans entered the French royal legion to protect France from the Norwegian onslaught.
"The idiots. I hope they died in that first battle!"
"Which one came first"
"That one, where the Norwegians tried some stupid trick"
"Oh yes, they tried to steal France's navy"
"Yep, capture the French coast, disguise themselves as Frenchmen, and steal the French navy"
"Didn't work though, did it?"
Manuel laughed.
"The French weren't stupid. To begin with, their ships didn't even go there. They established a blockade between the three Norwegian factions, the ones in England, Belgium, and Norway, and stopped all supplies from reaching one another"
"Whatever happened to the Norwegians in England?"
"They got killed. There were only a few hundred of them, and the French had their Burgundian swordsmen. Not one Norwegian was spared. Most of their navy was burned. What remained tried to flee to Norway but got destroyed by the French fleet"
Devante played with his coin-sack.
"The Franks were still leaderless though"
"Aye, the Northumberlandese sweeped down like devils. They took everything the Franks had taken and more"
"Damn traitors. I don't like the Franks too much, but at least the Franks are Catholic"
By then, a shadowy priest named Holmes had a large following in the name of a religion called "protestantism", a deviant of Christianity.
"The Norewgians in France didn't have much luck, but at least they weren't killed"
"Aye, they tried to assasinate the French queen. Completely failed, the assasins got killed"
"And when they tried to meet the French ships at the Northern Coast, they got attacked by the Hungarians"
"The Hungarians lost though"
"Aye, but not before they took many a Norwegian soul"
"The Norwegians did achieve one victory though"
"Oh yes... this may not bode well for us"
"They took the Mediterranean Kingdom"
"Aye, I was shocked"
"They managed to sneak a few of their men into the Atlantic before the French blockade went up. They arrived at Corssica, which was almost completely empty and took the castle by storm. The Mediterranean Kingdom is in shambles"
Suddenly they realized that most of the pub was empty. The owner was standing waiting for them.
"Well it was nice having this talk with you"
"Aye same here, hope to see you again my friend"
And they left back to their own lives, relatively untouched by the war being waged a few hundred kilometers to the North.
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From Hungary
To France
We are sorry but we don't believe we can support you for another 10 years. Survive till then our friends.
From the Papacy
To Norway
Retreat from the Mediterranean Kingdom at once!
From the Papacy
To Northumberland
We understand your desire to be a free peoples, but there is no reason to become heretics in such a pursuit.
From the Papacy
To the Catholic World
The pagans are less than a week's sail from Rome... if you don't help us now, Christianity may be forever dead...