IOT: Land Ho! [Redux]
- Thread starter Linkman226
- Start date
christos200
Never tell me the odds
Reserving Rome. I am the Pope.
Linkman226
#anarchy
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Dawn of a New Age- 1485-1489
Mandatory Listening
The past 500 years have been a time of great turbulence. In the New World, three empires of the Aztec, Tawantinsuyu, and Maya prospered, unaware of the conquerors that were about to set foot on their soil. Although the last of the three was a mere shadow of its former self, it still held considerable power. The Aztec and the Tawantinsuyu, on the other hand, were flourishing, expanding their empires across the breadth of the Americas. In North America, many tribes competed for hegemony, no single tribe achieving it. The nomadic Plains Indians feuded over hunting grounds for buffalo, while in the Mississippi River Valley small towns and cities were emerging. Disunited and blissfully unaware, they were dangerously unprepared for the coming onslaught.
In Western Europe, several dozen wars had left behind a few powerful kingdoms. In Spain, the successful offenses of the Moors at Cordova led to the dissolution and deaths of Castille and Leon. Aragon, however, survived; it brought Portugal into its fold by marriage and by the year 1200 it was the last bastion of Christianity in all Iberia.
In Gaul, the Hundred Years' War had left a broken France. The chaos allowed the secession of Brittany, but not without conflict. In the War of Breton Succession, an opportunistic Celtia ceased upon France's slow collapse and captured Brittany for itself.
In 1356, the Norman descendants of William the Conqueror broke off from a severely weakened France, invaded England, and captured that land William had left to his English sons. The Kingdom of Normandy now ruled both sides of the channel. The loss of such a great piece of its territory as well as its previous defeats in the War of Breton Succession and the Hundred Years' War left a shattered France that fell into civil war, resulting in the secession of both Burgundy and the Duchy of Aquitane.
In 1372, the Cordovans were at the height of their power; confident that it was only a matter of time before all Iberia was theirs, they sent a large force towards Aquitane. In desperation, the Duke of Aquitane begfed Aragon for help. Aragon consented. In the pivotal Second Battle of Tours, the forces of Aquitane and Aragon fought tooth and nail against the Moors. Finally, the Moors were broken, in their biggest defeat since they arrived in Iberia hundreds of years prior. Aragon and Aquitane united as one kingdom by marriage; to the present day, their efforts have pushed the Moors back significantly, but nonetheless the Moors remain a dominant force in Iberia.
German affairs, as always, were chaotic. The Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire. The meteoric rise of Burgundy, Austria-Hungary, and Prussia to mighty kingdoms resulted in the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, as these three kingdoms broke off from the Empire and slowly gobbled away its many principalities, duchies, and fiefdoms. Taking advantage of this collapse,the kingdom of Milan-Savoy in the south and the Netherlands in the north broke off as well from the HRE.
Italy was controlled by three major powers. In the north was Milan-Savoy. Towards the east and the south was Venice, which had established a merchant empire controlling the Balearic Islands, Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, Naples, Illyria, Crete, Cyprus, and several other islands of the Eastern Mediterranean. Finally, the center of Italy was the domain of the Pope, the most powerful man in Western Europe.
In the Balkans and Turkey, the Roman Empire had been reduced to almost nothing and was in its death throes. But as the Ottoman Turks slowly conquered the Balkans, they were met by harsh resistance. An alliance of Free Balkan People emerged, a haphazard conglomeration of many ethnicities, that sought to stop northwards Ottoman conquest and eventually regain their historic homelands.
In Eastern Europe, Poland-Lithuania had split into Poland and Lithuania. Further north, the Hansa Trading League had formed a nation to protect their common trading interests around the Baltic Sea.
Meanwhile, in Russia, conflict had begun. The Golden Horde, the remnant of the old Mongol Empire, controlled the steppes of Russia. Five years ago, however, the Tsardom of Russia broke off. Distracted by its campaigns in Armenia and the Caucusus, the Horde had let the Russians slip for the time being. But it is inevitable that the Horde will once again try to bring Russia under its heel.
The Kalmar Union of Scandinavia collapsed during this time period, leaving a gaping power vacuum in Scandinavia. Capitalizing on this, the Hansa took territory in the south while Celtia conquered a large swathe in the north.
In the Middle East, Crusades had been successful- for the time being- leading to the establishment of the vast Kingdom of Jerusalem, stretching from the delta of the Nile to Anatolia.
However, stirring Muslim forces mean the future of Jerusalem is not so bright. In Arabia, a union of Hejaz and Yemen as the Caliphate of Hejaz-Yemen conquered most of the Arabian peninsula and Mesopotamia, pressing in on Jerusalem from the south and west.
In Egypt, the Mamluks are rallying once more against these Christian infidels, preparing to conquer back the holy land.
Further west, the Safavids of Iran prospered. To the north of Iran lay the expanding Uzbek Khanate, which now set its eyes southwards on Iran.
In the Indian subcontinent, the decaying Sultanate of Delhi, controlled by the Lodi Dynasty, held most of North India west to Afghanistan. Meanwhile, in the south, a new power was rising, the Vijayanagara Empire, that sought to expel the Muslim invaders from India.
In Africa, many states competed for dominance. Of particular noteworthiness, the Ghana Empire and the Mali empire had entered a tense standoff of intense economic competition, each wishing to expand their vast trading empire. Recently, reports of a mysterious nation in the Horn of Africa have filtered into Egypt. Little is known about it, but it has enticed some explorers to travel south. Along the east coast of Africa, the Swahili city states established vast trading networks across the Indian Ocean.
So here we find ourselves. The year is now 1489. Only time will tell what the future holds.
OOC: I have added some regions of 'Terra Incognita" to the map. They are black. You cannot travel into them, through them, or do anything with them. They represent harsh deserts, cold and treacherous mountain ranges, or thick jungles.
Spoiler Map :
Spoiler Stats :
The Powers
Spoiler :
The Weaknesses
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The NPC Traits (aside from those in the lists above)
Spoiler :
christos200
Never tell me the odds
Can i claim Italy?
Linkman226
#anarchy
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2007
- Messages
- 2,493
Italian League
Government: Mixed Feudalism-Republicanism
Economic System: Free Market Capitalism
Capital: Firenze
Religion: Roman Catholicism
History: During the collapse of the HRE, North Italian states banded together against the German Emperor, fighting for Italian representation within Europe. At the same time, Roman citizens revolted against the Papacy and declared Rome secular, confining the Papal States to the Vatican. The former Papal subjects united with the North Italian states, forming the Italian League as it is today.
Strength: Venetian Arsenal
Flaw: Factional Partisanship
Spoiler :
It appears you two submitted while I drafting my post. You guys are free to take most NPC's. There are some exceptions though; the Pope is one of them.
Krzowwh it might make sense for you to take Venice. Christos, knowing you, you might want the Free Balkan Alliance.
christos200
Never tell me the odds
Can i take the Green nation in Minor Asia and Greece and change its name and powers?
Linkman226
#anarchy
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Are you serious? That's the Turks. Kinda messes up a number of things I have planned out so far.
christos200
Never tell me the odds
Can i take the Turks?
Linkman226
#anarchy
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Sure. Just do the usual write-up (name, flag, history, etc.)
christos200
Never tell me the odds
One last question. Can i make them Orthodox? ( I have RP writen that says why the Turks became Orthodoxs)
Linkman226
#anarchy
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Alright, fine, just make the RP good please. That's quite the modification.
To: Lithuania
From: Poland
While I know that our two nations have suffered greatly in terms of relations to each other before and after the end of the personal union, the Polish king would like you to know we want to repair those relations. We offer you a NAP and a defensive pact, to help fix those broken relations, and promote stability in Eastern Europe.
To: The Hansa
From: Poland
The Polish King is interested in purchasing back the land of Royal Prussia from you. With this, we promise to allow you and other nations access to free trade in the major cities of the region, thus protecting the trading interests you have in the region. If you are interested, we would like to know a price for the region.
From: Poland
While I know that our two nations have suffered greatly in terms of relations to each other before and after the end of the personal union, the Polish king would like you to know we want to repair those relations. We offer you a NAP and a defensive pact, to help fix those broken relations, and promote stability in Eastern Europe.
To: The Hansa
From: Poland
The Polish King is interested in purchasing back the land of Royal Prussia from you. With this, we promise to allow you and other nations access to free trade in the major cities of the region, thus protecting the trading interests you have in the region. If you are interested, we would like to know a price for the region.
christos200
Never tell me the odds
Ottoman Empire
Type of Government and Economic System: Absolute Autocracy, Theocracy
Capital: Athens
Religion: Orthodox
History:
The Rise of an Empire:
The Ottoman Tribes invaded Minor Asia in the 13th Century A.D, under the leadership of Osman the Great. Those Muslims tribes came from Mongolia, near China. After raiding all of China, Persia and the Holy Land, they decided to settle at Minor Asia, in Western Asia. After many years of war against Latins and Romans, the Ottomans managed to create a Huge Empire. They were stopped, however, by a Balkan Alliance.
The Holy Orthodox Turkish Empire:
Sultan Mehmet II knew that if the Turks were Muslims and the Balkanians Orthodox, the Empire would never be united. The Balkanians were the majority of the people. Greek, Serbs, Romans. All of them were Orthodox. Some Sultans tried with violence to convert the Balkan People to Islam, but they failed. Mehmet II decided to do the opposite. To convert the Turks to Orthodoxy, in order to unite the Empire. Soon, thousands of Turks became Christians, in a mass conversion not seen since the conversion of Russians to Christianity.
One Strength: Military Tradition
One Flaw: Easily Seasick
Type of Government and Economic System: Absolute Autocracy, Theocracy
Capital: Athens
Religion: Orthodox
History:
The Rise of an Empire:
The Ottoman Tribes invaded Minor Asia in the 13th Century A.D, under the leadership of Osman the Great. Those Muslims tribes came from Mongolia, near China. After raiding all of China, Persia and the Holy Land, they decided to settle at Minor Asia, in Western Asia. After many years of war against Latins and Romans, the Ottomans managed to create a Huge Empire. They were stopped, however, by a Balkan Alliance.
The Holy Orthodox Turkish Empire:
Sultan Mehmet II knew that if the Turks were Muslims and the Balkanians Orthodox, the Empire would never be united. The Balkanians were the majority of the people. Greek, Serbs, Romans. All of them were Orthodox. Some Sultans tried with violence to convert the Balkan People to Islam, but they failed. Mehmet II decided to do the opposite. To convert the Turks to Orthodoxy, in order to unite the Empire. Soon, thousands of Turks became Christians, in a mass conversion not seen since the conversion of Russians to Christianity.
One Strength: Military Tradition
One Flaw: Easily Seasick
Krzowwh
King
Most Serene Grand United Republic of Venice
Government: Republic
Economic System: Free Market Capitalism
Capital: Venexia
Religion: Roman Catholicism
Strength: Venetian Arsenal
Flaw: Factional Partisanship
Government: Republic
Economic System: Free Market Capitalism
Capital: Venexia
Religion: Roman Catholicism
Strength: Venetian Arsenal
Flaw: Factional Partisanship
Linkman226
#anarchy
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2007
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What is the Venetian arsenal?
christos200
Never tell me the odds
Krzowwh
King
It provided larger and better armed navies.
JohannaK
Heroically Clueless
Empire of Ethiopia
Spoiler Flag :
Spoiler Claims :
Type of Government and Economic System: Centralist Empire and Feudalism
Leader: Na'od
Capital: Addis Ababa
Religion: Christianism
History: History of Ethiopia till 1489
One Strength: Patriotic- When defending a starting province, automatic addition of a number of units equal to a quarter of the number of provinces owned rounded down.
One Flaw: Isolated- Infra costs 10EP
Krzowwh
King
Considering that Venice does not own any Aegean Islands, Albania, or Peloponnese, I don't see any reason for any of the first three Ottoman-Venetian Wars to occur, so I don't really understand what you are insinuating here.
christos200
Never tell me the odds
coughCretecoughCypruscough.
