Update 0: 1000 BC The Calm Before the Storm...
Throughout Europe, few took note of the monumental changes which were rapidly transforming the landscape of the continent. The age of Iron, now firmly in its early stages in the Near East, is seeing the use of much more formidable weapons and metallurgy, and the stage is set for great empires to arise...
On the Isle of Crete, from the city of
Partessos emerged from the chaos of the Mycenean collapse the Partessian people, led by Tyrant King Partessos of the uncreatively named Partessian Dynasty. Aside from adorning the name Partessos to every aspect of their life, the Partessian people are characteristically of Greek origin, worshipping the Greek pantheon with considerable emphasis on the sea for survival. Perhaps themselves of Phoenician origin, the Partessian dynasty seemed to have emerged from the "Dark Ages" of the preceding centuries after extended contact with the Phoenician civilization, who imparted unto them skilled seamanship and trade that went hand in hand with their island sorroundings. Partessos marks itself as one of the more prosperous and secure of Greek states.
On the other side of the Mediterranean, the
Sarahi people of Nuaf mark one of the strangest mix of cultures in Europe. Expelled generations ago from Yisrael for their less than fanatical devotion to military expansion, the Sarahi people turned to the Phoenicians for refuge. Led across the sea by the legendary King Yidor, the Sarahi people followed the Phoenicians as they explored the various coasts of the Mediterranean, eventually choosing to settle on the farthest expedition from their homeland as possible, a as of yet unnamed (NAME IT) strait that marks entrance to a vast ocean. The Sarahi people are marked by their since very Phoenicianized Jewish culture with Judeic religious beliefs, essentially a monotheistic faith with some mystical elements. The Sarahi people's unique position gives them a very good position along the tin trade routes with Britain.
In the lands of
Lower Egypt, the Egyptian people, who pride themselves on the "ancientness" of their culture are well established. Once bitter rivals with the Hittite empire to the NorthEast, the Egyptians have in recent times found new Jewish empires to contend with. The Egyptians are one of the few states of this era, outside of the Near East, that can confidently claim a semi-modern definition of statehood. Currently in an era of disunity and chaos, the former cradle of civilization in the Mediterreanan will require a powerful leader to keep from continuing its descent into but a memory of history.
Furthering the trend of ahistorical and uncreative names (

), the nation of "
Kiev" (Strangely centered in "Moscow") emerged as a tribe of Bronze Age peoples of primarily Uralic origin. Despite the nomadic nature of their neighboring tribes, the Kiev tribe managed to eke out a living, led by their Emperor Joseph and his descendants. Skilled in the art of horse riding, and still semi-nomadic themselves, the Uralic people are thus far isolated from the rest of Europe, though with the spread of the Steppe people to the south, other settling Uralic tribes to the West, and the ascendent greeks in the Mediterranean, it is unlikely to remain so for long.
Yet another greek state, the state of
Patras has participated in the rebirth of Greek civilization. Centered around the northern city state of Patras, the citizens of the city have waged wars of conquest, gathering a formidable swath of land under their control. Their tryant Kings have become renown for their ferocity in battle and firm control over their domains. Still, kept in check by powerful neighbors on virtually all sides, the war-like Patras have to contend with the mighty city states of Athens and Sparta if it to acheive dominance over the region.
Along the Northern Coasts of the Baltic Sea (You can rename these things, you know) the
Fenni people have emerged as the counter part to the "Russian" Finno-Ugric people to the East. Much more sea-oriented than the other Finno-Ugric people, the Fenni have already shifted from their roots with contact to many other peoples to the West and South toward a more trade oriented, sedentary nature. Their mythical "Justov", or King, has served as the center of the faith and culture for the Fenni people, and it is from his authority that they have begun rapidly expanding across the Baltic sea.
Further bucking the trend of breaking the mold, but winning brownie points for a good mythical location, the
Trojan people of the Dardanelles claim descent from the legandary Trojans of the Trojan war. Of Anatolian Greek persuasion, this probably isn't much of a stretch, and the Trojan people's strategic location in the Dardanelles has overseen a considerable growth in trade and expansion throughout the Aegean. Extended contact with Phoenicians and Hitties has also brought them knowledge of Iron Working, though proximity to large Phyrgian and Thracian tribes may spell trouble in the future.
On the isle of
Sicily (Again, you can rename these things!) the Sicilian (Yawn) people, based out of Syracuse and ruled by their King Heracles, are a diverse mixture of Greek and Phoenician descent. Originally a greek colony, the Phoenician explorers have until the recent rebirth of Greek culture all but supplanted the Greeks as the primary source of trade and influence on the island state. With powerful neighbors on either side of the closest continental shores of Sicily, the Sicilian people will be hard pressed to find easy land to expand onto, and have adopted a somewhat defensive naval identity.
In the NorthWestern reaches of Europe lay the
Albion tribe, centered around their refreshingly researched/creative (

) capital of Caerix. The Albion have a surprisingly sophisticated culture for the far North, having been in extensive contact with the Mediterranean almost soley due to their virtual monpoly on the precious metal tin, which is key in bronze making. With limited Phoenician contact, and extensive contact with the Skara Brae to the North, the Albion have established quite the trading empire relative to their otherwise undesirable location. With the groundwork of their civilization lain with the riches of tin, can the Albion tribes outlast the decline of Bronze as Iron spreads throughout the Mediterranean?
Across the sea from the Sicilians lies the
Kingdom of Tarantan, another ascending Greek state unified by King Tullus I. Based out of the capital of Taranto, the southern peninsular greeks have envisioned a "Magna Graecia", or Greater Greece, carved out of the Greek holdings of their immediate sorroundings. Already meeting the Sicilians on less than friendly terms, and wary of the non-Greek Romans to their north, the Sicilians are in a unique position of economic power but serious military competition.
The Central Greek state of the Aegean, the "
Greek Alliance" is but a coalition of powerful city states in central Greece, brought under the heel og King Adrastos by force or seeking refuge from the expansionist Patras to the West. Ruled by a council which shares power with the King of Athens, the Greek Alliance is a complex but fragmented state, united by its common Greek roots but divided by the political realities of the era and the technological difficulties of maintaining empire. It will take a dynamic ruler, and perhaps a direct external threat, to maintain this tentative alliance and see its expansion.
Another Celtic tribe has made its home near the lands of Albion; the
Nord Celtica tribe is ruled by a complex oligarchy of tribal leaders and powerful lords. Trading with the people of Albion and Skara Brae, the Nord Celticans have managed to maintain limited contact with the Mediterranean, otherwise more concerned with internal affairs than external.
Another wonderfully creative tribe is that of the Arevaci, who migrated from Gaul centuries ago to form the small
Kingdom of Okilis, centered around their Chief Viriato and his descendants. Of primarily Celtic origin, the Avaraci rapidly intermarried with the Iberian people of the region to form a typical Celtiberian culture, and serve as its prime example. Expanding through the construction of primitive fortifications to secure large lands to graze, the Okilis have just begun their rapid assimilation of the sorrounding Celtiberian tribes, and have acquired the abilities of bronzeworking from their contacts with the Sahari and Albion people.
In the most desolate northern reaches of the NorthWestern isles, the
Skara Brae people inhabit a series of rather rocky islands. The Skara Brae are of primarily celtic origin, though their distance from other groups of civilized celts has given them a unique culture unseen in other parts of Europe. A hardy and incredibly stubborn people, the Skara Brae have refused time and time again to abandon their highly unproductive homes, choosing instead to remain and trade with the Albion and Nord Celtic people for survival. There has been talk of migration to the mainland, and perhaps even further south toward the lands of Albion or straight East to the unknown, but the lords of Skara Brae have remained stalwart in their devotion to their land.
The hallmark of laziness, the
Regnum Romanorum has served as the poster boy of a lack of creativity and streching of ancient demographics. Claiming descent from a relatively unknown group of Latin tribes, the Roman people have unified under their Primus Tarquinnius Leo Rex, expanding outward to push back their rival neighbor the Etruscans.
Great empires, far preceding the recent settling of tribes, still exist to the east, and other tribes not mentioned have cropped up throughout Europe, in competition with the others for dominance.