Out of the Rubble I – The Byzantine Empire

[MSTK]

NOTICE! The computer housing this story's files is down. It is postponed for now, but another story has been started in the meanwhile, here. It is not as good, but it should serve as something to help you wait until the computer is fixed.
Out of the Rubble III is also up here.

EDIT: My image host has been known to take down images for no apparent reason.

EDIT: If you see any broken images, right-click and select "Show Picture". If that does not work, wait a day or two until my host puts it back up.

This will be my first story report for C3C. I always liked writing, and this was inspired by Symphony D., Daftpanzer, and Sandman2003 (I’d like to thank them all for their great stories). And, as theirs are, this is graphic-intensive, so if you have a slow connection, wait a bit before jumping in.
Note that I am writing this to improve my Gameplay! I would very much appreciate any tips. I am not a refined Civ3 Player, so this story kind of throws my strategies into the open for people to poke at.
( If you’re wondering why I picked the name…”Out of the Rubble” is referring to my writing history, not the Byzantines )
( And yes, I am prepared for the chance that I might be eliminated by the comp )

A couple of things you might notice as you read this…
1) I’ve gone name-crazy, naming almost every land formation I find
2) To make the name-crazy worse, I use names from books that I have liked, sometimes.
3) The first chapter is a bit slow
4) I think I’ve taken too many pictures
5) I mixed up Byzantine and Byzantium one too many times.
6) When things are in Small italics, they usually are not in the context of the story.
7) Every chapter is written from a different perspective.
8) Most names do not sound Byzantinish. They are named after people I've RPed with and admire online.
9) All of my images are deleted after one year of inactivity. If you are ever bored, please be kind and go through every page, in case I forgot, to download every picture. This is not necessary, but I'd appreciate it.
10) 0 BC is the start of my Golden Age, so "BC" stands for "Before Collection (of ideas)".
11) Thanks to ImageShack for Free Image Hosting

Recent Maps
World Map, 1570
Spinning Globe

Out of the Rubble I – The Byzantine Empire
Civ: Byzantines
Difficulty: This will be my first game on the Regent difficulty level
Map: This will be a Large map on Continents with 70% water, and with all defaults (AI/Barb Aggression, rival numbers, victory conditions, etc.)

Well…here goes nothing

CHAPTER ONE: The Beginnings
Quoted from The Seeds of the Byzantine Empire; Published by Doughton Muffin.

Nobody is quite sure why the nomads who eventually called themselves the Great Byzantines threw off their customs of hunter-gatherers and looked towards the great promise of civilization. But historians today do know when – around 4000 BC, as did all other Great Civilizations of this world. Little by little, those living around and in the River of Silver gathered at the coast near the fringes of a great field that would be named after the great one who rallied the peoples of Byzantine together: Constantine.


( Ack. “Feilds” is supposed to be “Fields”. A little typo on my part )

It is little wonder why the city that they had formed was christened Constantinople after the great leader. His dream had become fulfilled – The wandering have been received; the great had been gathered. Through all this, they learned the united knowledge of Bronze Working and the use of the Alphabet. With no more hopes of greatness, Constantine politely declined at the offer of being the Despot of this centralized government and retired, wandering in the north in search of adventure.

During the first fifty years of Byzantine’s history, there was peace without a rigid government. The people were fine with it. A military unit was being conceived of to explore the outside world. The farmers were settling down to irrigate a crop of land. But after fifty years, the people became restless, with criminals taking advantage of the loose law. Finally, something had to be stopped. Empress Theodora claimed the throne of Despot, and the line of Theodora was blessed to continue on for thousands of years into the future.

Quickly, she established her council of advisors. Each one specialized in their own role, and Theodora knew that they would do well, for they were all hand-picked from her personal friends. In the branch of the military, her tactical advisor entrusted her to build a Warrior Battalion to defend the city in the event of an invasion from barbarian forces. And yet her well-learned advisor in Science and Research soon asked for direction. A course was set for pottery, which could prevent famines. The science funding quickly increased to the maximum that could be reached before gain in gold became deficit.

After years of effort and many generations of Empresses, the first military unit emerged from Constantinople’s halls: the Warrior Battalion. Though its needs at defending were great, a peaceful village (or so it seemed) was spotted across the Silver River, and the Warrior Battalion was dispatched to befriend them. As for consolation for our ignored Military Advisor, the Council promised that the next unit – a spearman – would be used for purely defensive purposes.

The gamble paid off nicely. It turned out to be a peaceful village! Even though historians today do not yet know how tribes like these missed the word of the great Constantine, it was presumed that these small barbarian outposts are those who were isolated from the ideas of a unified civilization. But they showed us the secrets of Warrior Code, and how to fit together wood and string to create a deadly projectile that shunned our slingshots, axes, and shields. How would the Byzantines have fared if this village was assimilated during Constantine’s days?

Now, even though the Byzantines have reaped enough benefit from the village from scouting, their Foreign Advisor suggested that Theodora send the warrior battalion down the Silver River.


Source: Byzantine Library of History – “Historical Maps of the Byzantium Empire” (Circa 3500 BC)

All of the focus from the small empire (at that time) was fixed on the adventures of this warrior scout. “Join the Navy!” was proclaimed in excitement. It was, after all, the only exciting action that occurred in the empire for many centuries: scouting. Finally, with much anticipation and media, the warrior found the source of the great River of Silver. The Byzantines took no hesitation to dub it “Spire’s Reach”, and from that peak the famous First Battalion saw the reaches of River Gelion, and maybe even the edge of the huge, snaking Serpentine Desert.



Unfortunately, on exploring the terrain further, our scout revealed that “River Gelion” was in fact not connected by the path shown (they were actually two completely separate rivers), and that our maps were indeed wrong. Our Foreign Advisor soon corrected this mistake by naming the northern one “Greater Gelion”, and the eastern “Little Gelion”.

The mistake drew a slight sense of insecurity at the Theodoran reign, but soon after that mishap, the Byzantine Sooth-Sayers have paid off well for their mass funding, giving them the secrets of

and bringing them back onto the right track.

And, if the citizens weren’t comforted enough yet, in the immediate future, the Military Force produced their first defensive unit, the Spearman, who utilized bronze spears and shields with great dexterity. As well, their Warrior Scout had found them another lesser tribe, who quickly accepted Byzantine rule and gave them

It was the art of burying things…ceremoniously, of course. The Byzantium Empire quickly regained the sense of security, but true happiness was still far away, with no luxuries yet in our borders.

The next century or two passed by without much event for the Byzantines, but who knew what the other civilizations across the world were doing?

If you want to find out, buy the Seeds of Civilization Series, which has been are #1 grosser and will continue to be if you keep on giving us money.

 

[MSTK]

CHAPTER TWO: Contact & War
Recovered from the lost Diaries of the Byzantine Rulers.

Who now can stand against the mighty, wealthy Byzantines? It is surely not anyone in the world. That traveler Machiavelli must have been mistaken to rank us in second.
And yet, are all of these peoples barbarians? Or are they civilized, nearly on the level of ours? Surely these eight must be special. There must be something different about them that sets them apart from these random barbarian tribes that have quickly submitted to our rule and given us gifts of knowledge.

Is this just Theodora boasting about herself to her diary? Or is it something about hidden insecurities in her mind?

But lo! Can you believe this? The same month that I receive this book, our scouting warrior party has brought news of these “Indians”. Their leader is old and unattractive, and their possessions are few. Byzantium is all but inferior to these Indians. No deals would be made with the “Forgotten Indians”.

This is the last important entry of this generation of Theodoras. But interestingly enough, her daughter thought differently.

How can my mother left the Indians to peace?! Our dear Military Advisor insists that we build a stronger military, and I should agree. But it is impossible to invest so much into our military. Yet here are the “Forgotten Indians”, who outweigh our forces. And they even had an extra city! Something had to be done!

We can assume that this Empress was more realistic than her peaceful mother. But how will she react to this non-imminent threat? Because, after all, the Indian Empire will not be a threat for quite a while, according to history (or maybe if they had not decided the way that they did, India may have become a threat immediately. History cannot show us that). This next entry was written the night of some time around the next week.

We have gathered a council with the six advisors as a tradition, though today tradition became a benefit. I will try to recount what happened this afternoon as best I can, but some motivations and details will be kept confidential in the case that our enemies are watching us.
Our main issues were brought up by the Military and Foreign advisors. India, while still far away and having no idea of our location, has a stronger military force than ours. In addition, they had an extra city, which lead to a great and income rate. If we let this continue, India would rival our own Byzantine.
But our Science and Domestic advisors also brought up a point: If the Indians do not gain sufficient knowledge or a means to steadily support their empire from collapsing on itself, then they will not be a threat.
To this, our Foreign Advisor added the possibility of India trading with another of these Civilizations mentioned in Machiavelli’s historical compilation to gain a lead in technology. Our Military Advisor added that if we let this proceed, India will not become a threat until it is too late to deal with them.
Our decision was made to raze India’s undefended city. It must have either been a new one or India was not very smart, sending a Settler without a military escort. This razing would hopefully stunt India’s growth just enough to make a difference in this early stage of the civilized world. And, if we risk it enough, we will raise a siege on Delhi, the capital of India.

It was a great risk, and historians today are still not sure of it was the right risk. The result was not to be determined in this right-thinking Empress’s day. It was left to her daughter, in turn.

The raze proved successful, just as mother planned it. Unfortunately, we would have kept the city had we a choice. But it was too small, and it was razed without command by our Warrior Scout Battalion. Without futher ado, our lone battalion was sent towards Delhi for what would surely be a suicide attack.

Everything was going just as planned. If Byzantine destroyed Delhi, the Indian Empire would be wiped out. This was never even anticipated by the original council. They too believed it impossible. But they had to at least try. It meant risking their Warrior Battalion and their only Scouting Unit, but it may be worth it.

The plan that my grandmother had set out to complete with her Council was finally coming to an end. We have utmost confidence in the Siege of Delhi. Indian workers have retreated into the city for protection. And a protection they had. It was a Spearman, like ours. It was more advanced than our Warrior, but it was our only choice. There is no way that we could loose.

The most ironic thing here is that when they finally see what they’re up against (little or no hope at all), Empress Theodora is the most optimistic. What a strange person.

Much to my dismay, the Siege of Delhi failed.

Nobody is sure what happened to that Empress after that entry was filed, but some say that she committed suicide.



NOTE: You can see “Little Gelion” as the eastern-most river in the “Spire’s Reach” picture – the third picture in the story.
NOTE: You can see the “Greater Gelion” as the northern-most river in the “Spire’s Reach” picture – the third picture in the story.
NOTE: These are examples of me going name-happy.
NOTE: I know that I left a city unguarded. The Military Advisor is going to kill me!

Immediately after the disappearance of her mother, Empress Theodora took the role of Despot for the Byzantines. A few things were amended soon after her mother’s loss at Delhi.

Oh, if only my mother could have lived to see this day. It is a sad thing to have gone missing the eve of so many great and wondrous things that many leaders never see in their lifetime. In apology to the furious Indians, I have decided to make peace.
Some of my subjects have accused me of being too free-spirited, but I must stay rigid in order to walk in my mother’s footsteps that she left unmade, so I must make her footsteps for her, and she must be proud of them. How’s that for new-age thinking?
Negotiation was hard with the Indians, for in reality I know that they should have offered more than they had. Yet, their treasury was steadily declining, as reports from my ancestors have told. At the start of the war, India had amassed a pitiful 10 Gold. Now, at the end, they have 8. Their treasury was steadily declining, if I can estimate this right. Or it may have been slowly recovering from a loss, and it was growing higher by the second. What was definitely made clear was that India had no cities to offer; we had razed their only extra. Perhaps my great-grandmother’s bloody plan had been successful. But peace must be made. After grabbing all India had to offer, I made peace. Sure it was not much, by my predecessors would have been proud.

On hindsight, we see that India would have bitten a GPT deal, but this hippie never considered it.

The next great thing that happened during the resolution of the war was that my people decided to honor me! They’re so sweet! Peace is the answer, as I always said. They offer to build my palace from a little dug-out bomb shelter into a single-story building. It’s a start. Some rude warmonger posted a banner on the side of the palace about hate against the Indians. But the Indians mean no harm anymore, even though they are still furious with me. We all know that emotions always change to the better. Besides, the poster is really obstructing the lighting.

Just more mindless gloating to her diary. Did she really have a morale boost from showing off to a piece of paper?

(picture removed)
This queen was assassinated, but it was said to be by an Indian Zealot. However, recent forensic studies show that she by her councilmembers when they started plotting against her chirpy attitude. The idea that the Indian Zealot killed her was formed by the council (Coincidence?).

 

[Espírito]

Good story, must have taken you ages to write though

 

[MSTK]

No, I just took a bunch of screenshots and strung them together.

BTW...does anyone think that my maiming of India was the right choice?

 

[WeaponX]

No, I just took a bunch of screenshots and strung them together.

BTW...does anyone think that my maiming of India was the right choice?

I would say yes India is always a good early target and no because waiting later would have let you either take the cities once your out of despotsism (sp?) or having an "army" of settlers ready to rebuild on top of razed Indian cites. Anywho, Nice Story and good luck

 

[Espírito]

I would have built more warriors nearer th beginning instead of a Spearman, and on Regent, happiness isn't a problem so send them all scouting to begin with, you would rarely make war with a civ on your doorstep anyway by your own choice so its quite safe. Don't build Spearmen so early because: you can get two warriors for one which means 2x the exploring or military police (not issue on low levels), so you pop twice as many huts, meet twice as many civs etc. I rarely overstep my military limit in Despotisms so more military units is better, and you get a bonus against barbarians anyway, plus you can then thrwo more units at that spearman in Delhi...

Definitely raze the unguarded city (unless u want Diplomatic Victory ofc), however I would have left my warrior on the mountain near Delhi or scouted round Delhi instead of attacking i) You get the defence bonus ii) They'll probably throw Warriors at you in my experience iii) They keep their workers in the city so you stunt their growth. iv) You'll rarely beat a Spearman in a town with just one warrior.
You can then send down more military units to finish them off thus your rep shouldnt go down for razing the city if they haven't made contact with anyone else yet...

Also, look at which squares are being worked in the city, you've irrigated 3 flood plains and mined two grassland (shield I hope) but have only 3 citizens, they wont be working all of these squares. I would have irrigated one fp and mined a couple more grassland shields - next to the river for that trade!!!! and road the squares!!! and then begun a road to connect the lux and the other city. Obvioulsy this is personal choice but having 5 developed squares not all along that nice river (and your workers now on the square you should have worked a while back) and not roaded isn't efficient.

Hope you get that, and hope people agree with me :S

EDIT: Here's a screenshot from above to show you what I mean about the city, its the best one to show but it doesnt show all the squares.

First of all, you should ave movewd your worker to square A, road then mine (or mine then road, but I find mining first takes so long it doesnt actually benefit the first warrior so I prefer roading first), then move to square B and road and mine, by then the city should have expanded move to square C (another grassland shield) and road and mine, then I would road onto square D, but I cant remember happiness levels for Regent so it may be best to Irrigate on a flood plain, but depends on whether you want shields or food, but do ABC first definitely. Perosnally, I might skip a fourth square all together and road to the Wines SW and then start on your second city site.

 

[Yiannis]

To MSTK:Very literary written story.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Good job! I think hitting the unguarded Indian city was a good move, it'll slow their expansion way down and give you an edge on them that will last awhile. Unfortunately it will probably take a long time to repair relations with them. Unless of course you're just planning on wiping them out.

 

[MSTK]

I would have built more warriors nearer th beginning instead of a Spearman, and on Regent, happiness isn't a problem so send them all scouting to begin with, you would rarely make war with a civ on your doorstep anyway by your own choice so its quite safe. Don't build Spearmen so early because: you can get two warriors for one which means 2x the exploring or military police (not issue on low levels), so you pop twice as many huts, meet twice as many civs etc. I rarely overstep my military limit in Despotisms so more military units is better, and you get a bonus against barbarians anyway, plus you can then thrwo more units at that spearman in Delhi...

Definitely raze the unguarded city (unless u want Diplomatic Victory ofc), however I would have left my warrior on the mountain near Delhi or scouted round Delhi instead of attacking i) You get the defence bonus ii) They'll probably throw Warriors at you in my experience iii) They keep their workers in the city so you stunt their growth. iv) You'll rarely beat a Spearman in a town with just one warrior.
You can then send down more military units to finish them off thus your rep shouldnt go down for razing the city if they haven't made contact with anyone else yet...

Also, look at which squares are being worked in the city, you've irrigated 3 flood plains and mined two grassland (shield I hope) but have only 3 citizens, they wont be working all of these squares. I would have irrigated one fp and mined a couple more grassland shields - next to the river for that trade!!!! and road the squares!!! and then begun a road to connect the lux and the other city. Obvioulsy this is personal choice but having 5 developed squares not all along that nice river (and your workers now on the square you should have worked a while back) and not roaded isn't efficient.

Hope you get that, and hope people agree with me :S

EDIT: Here's a screenshot from above to show you what I mean about the city, its the best one to show but it doesnt show all the squares.

First of all, you should ave movewd your worker to square A, road then mine (or mine then road, but I find mining first takes so long it doesnt actually benefit the first warrior so I prefer roading first), then move to square B and road and mine, by then the city should have expanded move to square C (another grassland shield) and road and mine, then I would road onto square D, but I cant remember happiness levels for Regent so it may be best to Irrigate on a flood plain, but depends on whether you want shields or food, but do ABC first definitely. Perosnally, I might skip a fourth square all together and road to the Wines SW and then start on your second city site.

Thanks for the tips. I had to read it twice to get it, but I'm sure it will help me alot!

 

[Yom]

@Espirito: I disagree with your view on the opening moves. Population = Power. I would go straight to irrigating the fps, and then mining the BGs. What's the point of 3 Mined BGs and a forest if your city is only size 2?

Who cares if your city is unhappy. You don't have to hook up the wines immediately. IIRC, Regent gets 2 content citizens. Plus, the lux tax is crucial in early turns to keep your city growing.

 

[MSTK]

CHAPTER THREE: Exploration
Excerpts from The Great Unknown, Written and Illustrated by Coullon Elsar.



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“Surely you cannot say that this is not a great accomplishment,” Empress Theodora scolded the Military Advisor. “Now you will be able to create advanced units that can travel twice as fast as any in the known world!”
The Military Advisor tried his best to hold back his temper. This was the Despot who he was talking to, after all. “My lady, I can assure you that diverting our efforts from a defensive unit into a scouting unit while Adrianople lays unguarded is a bad choice, no matter the compensation.”
“I’ve already talked to the Domestic Advisor about that, dear advisor. I do not mean to anger you, but your concerns are completely irrational. Isn’t that right?” Theodora turned towards the Domestic Advisor, who was caught in unawares.
“Erm, yes,” the poor man stumbled. “We have refocused our efforts in Adrianople towards not growth or wealth, but towards production. My Lady has hand picked the itineraries herself. Soon after this scouting unit is produced, we will utilize this new system and create another defensive unit before any harm can be done.”
“I’m sorry, but I already know of your efforts. Such a commotion is hard to miss, if I may add. No, what you are doing is sacrificing an advanced Spearmen with two lesser Warriors. Bronze has an advantage over flint and stone, and we all know that. And let us just ignore the complete lack of any true offensive unit in all our ranks, huh?”
“Watch your tongue,” Theodora replied deftly. She was running out of ideas, and needed some advice…if it wasn’t her advisors themselves she were fighting.
“My lady,” a servant spoke out in the middle of the awkward silence, as if to break it. “Hostile troops have entered our borders. They do not seem to be in the level of the Indians – they are most likely barbarians–“
“But they do pose a threat,” the Domestic Advisor interrupted quickly. “If we focus our efforts on this bronze-wielder, we will not have a unit in time to defend ourselves from this barbarian invasion.” It was exaggerating a little, but he had to convince him.
“If we divert our labor towards this quick warrior, we could eliminate this threat in between us and our scouting,” Theodora added.
There was a long silence in the stone room as everyone awaited the consent of the neglected advisor. Six against one. How could he fare?
“Alright,” he growled. “Let’s kill us some barbarians.”

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The rain pattered down softly on the eve of the expedition and it reflected the gloom of the Warrior Battalion that would be launched the next day. It was excitement that they loved, and that was why they were picked. Yet, their nervousness overcame them. What would they find in this outside world that none had explored, save for the brave First Battalion that waged war with the Indians? And let them remember their fate: A bloody battle to the death.
“Alright, men,” the captain spoke grimly. His name was Rea Mænon. His purpose was to lead his men to victory. “Who is ready for the time of their lives?”

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Figure 12-A: The troops progress towards the hostile Barbarian threat, leaving Adrianople unguarded.

“What do you think is beyond there, Captain?” Danier Elsar asked Rea a month later after the expedition began. He was not one of the best, but he quickly befriended the captain.
“Well, nobody really knows. The Byzantines haven’t been out of their shell much, save some brave explorers here and there. You remember the First Battalion, right? Some say they were drunk the night they made their vow. Some say they were bribed. Whatever the reason they chose to go on that quest, they changed the world for us. Every man has a chance to change the world…to make a difference. Every man has the right to make so much a difference that if he had not existed, the world would have been so different of a place. Like Lord Constantine, all those centuries ago. He had the chance. He took it. And if he had not, where would all of us be now?”
Rea paused for a second to take drink, turning back to Danier, who was already deep in thought.
“Don’t worry your little head abut it,” Rea laughed heartily. “But when the time comes, will you take your chance to change the world?”
He could just watch as the poor boy tried to comprehend the enormity of it all, when he patted him on the shoulder. “What’s out there, my dear Danier? I’ll tell you what’s out there. A forest as far as the eye can see. A great field of peace in the middle of chaos. And an enemy who turns out to be a friend.” Rea smiled and gave Danier a quick wink and was off.

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The battalion made their way across the fringes of what was known as the Eastern Grey Forests. They were close now: close to their first battle with a hostile.
A month passed with no event, until the first signs of fight were spotted. It was a good sign, to catch your enemy by surprise. And now they had just done it.
The barbarian battalion had settled within the forest itself, wasting themselves away merrily with wine learned from some crooked Byzantines who sold their secrets.
“This is it,” Rea whispered. “This is our first battle. I know you’ve all been waiting for this for a long time,” he added. A quick plan was set to surround the camp and attack one strike force at a time, confusing the barbarians.

The sun drew down and the Barbarians settled down, not bothering to move any further after this day of drinking. And then, the attack came.
First, it was Danier’s strike force that raided them from the southeast. It succeeded in catching the Barbarians by surprise. Blood was spilled as the flint axes fell onto the startled enemy, who were still drunk and unorganized. But they rallied up quickly enough and attacked the strike force all at once.
Then, surprisingly, the attackers disappeared at the sound of a whistle.
The Barbarians stood there, scratching their heads in amazement. One third of their forces had already been taken, while only a few of the Byzantine battalion fell.
Then, almost as quickly as the strike force left, it came back again from behind. Only, this time it was a different team. The Barbarians quickly fell to the surprise attack. Being surprised by the same army in the same minutes? It was a low that soon drove them into a fury. Again the strike force retreated at a whistle, but this time the Barbarians lost less of their men and killed more of the Byzantine forces.
At the next sneak attack, the surprise factor failed them completely. In pure rage, the Barbarians defended their small camp, loosing none but almost decimating the small strike force.
A short silence reigned.
And then, the barbarians did not know what happened next. Forces after forces came, from all different angles, each time killing at least two of their number and never even loosing one of their own. The illusion quickly formed that there were a thousand of these Byzantine invaders.
Then, it was over. The last barbarians fell or ran away. Overall, the Byzantine troops lost only about a third of their number. “I’d say we did good, right?” Rea cheered.

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The Second Battalion soon drew more excitement than even the First Battalion did. They had thought they found the origin of the Barbarians who threatened them, but it was a peaceful tribe like those who gave them so many new advances. This time, the tribe gave them plentiful maps and revealed the extent of the Southern Marsh, and the confirmation that the Eastern Grey Forests and the Western Grey Forests were indeed connected into one, huge forest. Forests as far as the eye could see. But most importantly, they revealed the location of the threatening Barbarians’ home.


Figure 13-C: The maps which the peaceful barbarians gave the Byzantines.

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“There is no threat,” Theodora declared blankly.
The Military Advisor could just throw a copy of the Wheel across the room. “Of course there is a threat! There is always a threat! After all these meetings, your line of despots have never been able to figure that out! And forget your sense of ‘honor’ and ‘dignity’!”
“I know my grandmother promised this kingdom that the next unit will become a defensive one. But there is absolutely no threat right now. The barbarians will soon be eliminated by the Second Battalion. India is at peace, and we now know that the Grey Forests stands in their way, even if they do decide to wage war.”
“But this time I make the terms,” the Military Advisor added desperately, knowing that he would loose this fight like his predecessors always did. “You have to promise me that you will agree to them. This is for the good of the empire.”
“So be it,” Theodora answered. “What are your terms?”
Now I have her at my command, the advisor thought. But why would I take advantage of that? What can I do in spite of her that would not go against my ways? He grumbled. Finally, he could have whatever he asked, and there was nothing to ask for.
“You must promise me that the next unit will be a Spearman.”
Is this all he could ask for? Theodora asked herself. Surely there must be something more. But I dare not push it.
“It is agreed, then. The Warrior will become a Third Scouting Battalion, and our next funds are relocated to Spearman.”
“If you ask me,” the Military Advisor grumbled as Theodora left the room, “This age is too much of exploration.”

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The Third Scouting Battalion set off as soon as possible. News had arrived that the Second Battalion had successfully destroyed the Barbarian camp. This would mean that they are in the shadow of Rea Mænon. Was this something they should have been proud of?
Brae Aften pondered this situation hopelessly. Rea Mænon had passed away long ago and was now replaced as captain by Danier Elsar. A great captain he was, but did not survive to see the great siege laid on the Barbarians.
Brae ground his teeth at the thought of the Barbarians. They were a savage lot, the whole of them. If he had it his way, he would have wiped them off the planet for sure. The great civilizations of the Byzantines and even the Indians were more essential. Who knows what the world would be like now if the Barbarians had just stayed out of the way.

Their path was a little different from that of the Second Battalion. They headed southward over the Southern Marsh, passing slowly by. Then, suddenly, they found the Barbarians, just sitting in the forest.
“Burn them,” Brae snarled. He finally had his chance to help the world a bit. “Do not let them live.”
“But sir, we are in the middle of a Forest,” his second-in-command replied. “Also, these are peaceful barbarians – the same variety that gave the First Battalion two great advances. These are the same kind who gave the First Battalion the maps that we are using right now. Theodora and the Military Advisors themselves called them ‘Goody Huts’. If you ask me, we should pop them.”
“I don’t care what they have to offer!” Brae yelled. Any louder and the goody huts would have heard him. “They’re all scum – every single one of them.”
“Get down!” a voice cried from the middle of nowhere. It was an ancient Byzantine tongue that was used on the basis for their current language.
“What in the bloody heck was tha – “
A forest barbarian pulled Brae and his Second-in-Command down, just in time to dodge an arrow shot from those within the Goody Huts. Brae watched in gratitude as their attacking archer was killed by the “barbarians”. He watched as a group of revolutionists try to take over the village and the well-organized barbarians that fought the civil war.
Finally, when it was over, he rose up in amazement. “Why, you people aren’t barbarians! You’re almost human!”

And so started the great friendship that sparked between Brae and the Barbarians. A bit ironic and corny, but it worked out that way. The Barbarians were pleased at the knowledge that the Byzantines gave them, and decided to join their battalion. They created the Fourth Battalion, out in the wilderness.


Figure 14-B: Who says we can’t all just get along? Barbarians and Byzantines, working together in harmony for the first time, are shown here.

Figure 14-C: We help eachother. (The red arrow is pointing towards Byzantium)

 

[MSTK]

CHAPTER CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS POST

“So, you’re saying that we are taking our rafts from the Silver River and turn them into a ‘Curaugh’, which we send to explore the Blue Divide?” Theodora asked this crazy subject who asked for an audience.
“Yes, my Lady. If there are other civilizations who look to water as family as we do, then we will be sure to find them on the edge of the same waters as we see,” Christophe Elsar suggested. He too was living under the shadow of Danier Elsar, his father.
“I swear, if we waste anything more on exploration, I’ll–“ the Military Advisor started. He was cut off by Empress Theodora, as he was when he was young.
“Why are you even here?” Theodora asked. “This is not a council meeting. Do you expect me to allow you to breathe down my throat until I fulfill my mother’s promise?”
“I am many ages older than you, and about to face my deathbed. But I will not let Byzantium fall under the prey of misjudgments,” the Military Advisor answered.
“The Spearmen are being completed as planned. This exploration idea will not interfere, for I will divert my work from Constantinople towards this,” Theodora reminded.
Suddenly, Christophe’s face lit up. “So are you going to lauch my Curaugh, empress?”
“Go ahead,” the Military Advisor grumbled. “I will not mind.”
“Well, since he is all that matters, we will be christening your boat soon, then, won’t we?” Theodora smiled.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“No! It cannot be!” Brae yelled in fury. At the top of Watchpoint at the end of the Haven Peninsula, he could not imagine that it was coming to an end.
“There was a forest as far as the eye could see. There was a great field of peace in the middle of chaos – the Nemesis Swamp and the Grey Forests’ final ending. There was even an enemy who turns out to be a friend, for crying out loud! But why couldn’t have Rea predicted a never-ending journey!”

Brae stood looking out into the open sea. His expedition southward had come to a dead-end. His barbarian friends who had become the Fourth Battalion had been slain. And it was for nothing. It was for a dead end.
“What does life offer for me now?” he asked.
The next day, the Third Battalion left Watchpoint to join the Second Battalion to explore the lands beyond India. They left old Brae behind.


Figure 15-C: The final result of the Southern Exploration.

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Kenarhn Elsar looked upon the plains of India from the fringes of the Indian Marshbowl. What a long way he had come. Now he stood at the same position where the First Battalion did long ago.
Christophe Elsar was Kenarhn’s half-brother. Their fathers were both Danier Elsar, but Christophe’s mother was Byzantine while Kenarhn’s was barbarian, if you could call them that. Danier did get bored over his travels.
The rendezvous with the Third Battalion was supposed to occur soon. But Kenarhn wanted to wait for them. The adventure of the brave Second Battalion was all exhausted, as it seemed to him. Kenarhn looked forward to a peaceful life, letting the Third Battalion take care of everything.

Figure 16-B: Kenarhn and the Second Battalion look over at Madras from across the Indian River. Madras lies where Bombay used to be before the First Battalion, who walked the very ground, laid waste to it.

But as history shows, things do not always turn out as expected.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“These are barbarians we’re dealing with, captain!” the second-in-command of the Third Battalion cried out towards Lance Mænon. “These aren’t the same people who your father befriended!”
“Nonsense!” Lance called back. “My father thought so too, and he was wrong!”
They were in the middle of a surprised attack. Lance had tried to negotiate with a Goody Hut as his father, Brae Mænon, once did. However, things went horribly wrong. They refused to submit, and they attacked. Lance saw it as a failed prospect, so he ignored the now-hostile barbarians and tried to catch up with the First Battalion.
Unfortunately, he was now under attack by these underestimated barbarians.
“You have to fight!” the s-i-c urged. It was at that moment that a rogue barbarian jumped up to him and eliminated him. Lance stumbled back.
“No…please! I don’t mean to harm you!”
“You do not understand us, do you?” the barbarian leader murmured in rough Indian.
The second to last thing that passed through Lance’s mind was Brae’s disappointment at him not being able to lead his Battalion onwards after the dead end in the Southern Expedition.
The last thing that passed through Lance’s mind was, of course, a lance.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Sir,” the second-in-command of the Second Battalion asked, in Indian Territory. “I think we have waited for the Third Battalion long enough.”
Kenarhn sighed heavily. “I do think so too. We cannot delay any further. We must move onward.”
A note was passed to the s-i-c. “Captain, there are two people here to see you,” he said.
“Bring them in,” Kenarhn replied. “One at a time.”
The man brought in the first. It was a scholarly magister type. It reminded Kenarhn of the pictures his father had showed him of this foolish Science Advisor to whom 80% of the taxes were going to.
“Speak,” Kenarhn spoke.
The traveler spoke fluent Byzantine, surprisingly. “Great Kenarhn of the Byzantines: I give you a compendium.”
Kenarhn looked briefly over the book that the man gave him. “What is your name?” he asked.
“My name is Toynbee,” Toynbee answered.
“Good work. Though I can’t say your results are pleasing.” Kenarhn turned to his general. “Send a copy of this book back to Constantinople. They will want to have this.”
“Yes, sir,” the Second-in-command answered. “Should I bring in the next visitor?”
“Sure,” Kenarhn answered. He was surprised to see that his guest was replaced by an Indian Ambassador.
The ambassador turned out to be almost fluent in the Byzantine language. Of course, he had to be. Otherwise, he would loose his job.
“Byzantine, Ghandi request you to move out India. Move out immediately or we go to war another again.”

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“Do you recognize this?” the first mate asked to Christophe Elsar. He handed him a telescope.
“Let me see,” Christophe answered kindly. He put the spyglass to his eyes, and what he saw amazed him. “Why, there seems to be border markers of some sort. I think we’ve found ourselves another India!”

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NOTE: Yes, it’s crowded and hard to read.
NOTE: I’ve gone name-happy.
NOTE: To get so much into one picture, I used a “Panorama” method, where I took a picture of many screens and pasted them together.

 

[Espírito]

Great addition, I like it when you go name happy.

@Yom:

@Espirito: I disagree with your view on the opening moves. Population = Power. I would go straight to irrigating the fps, and then mining the BGs. What's the point of 3 Mined BGs and a forest if your city is only size 2?

Who cares if your city is unhappy. You don't have to hook up the wines immediately. IIRC, Regent gets 2 content citizens. Plus, the lux tax is crucial in early turns to keep your city growing.

population is important yes, but to begin with a bonus grassland 2 1 is better than flood plain 2 0, thus it is better to work it without irrigation/mining. i would much prefer to have a ctizen working a 2 2 square than a 3 0 at the beginning as it means you can get warriors faster to explore, and you still grow at a reasnable speed.

oh, and you wil never get 3 mined bgs and a forest when your city is size two from just your first worker, build city, grow in 10, one turn move, 3 turns road (not industrious) and (6??) turns mining makes it about one tile improved for each person. Even when industrious I think it takes 6 turns to move/mine/road a bg tile so by the time your city is size 3, you have 3 mined and roaded bgs, itworks perfectly, if you irrigate the fp then you grow fdaster than you can improve tiles and so in the end you lose out.
What is the point of 3 irrigated fps, you cant even get a settler factory because you dont have the production. irrigate one maybe, but i would wait until after the bgs.

as i said, unhappiness isnt a problem at regent, but roading the wines AFTER you have improved 3/4 squares is best because you wont use any more squares probably as you spend pop points on settlers and it begins the road to the next city and means you dont need the lux slider. I try not to use the lux slider when possible and use mil police and grab the lux, cheaper and allows faster science.

i suggest the bonusgrassland because when you get to higher levels, more warriors is better than more people in myexperience, and you dont want too much pop too fast. Of course its completely his choice liek I said 'Obvioulsy this is personal choice', and if you wait too lng for that second city because you dont have the shields to build the settler fast since you are working only flood plains then you'll fall further behind than you would by having slightly lower pop at the beginning/

Edit:

I did some tests using the same terrain, SUmmary is: I found using the bonus grasslands ONLY you got second settler fast and many exploration units plus a spearman and granary, however using 2FP then BG you got first settler much slower but subsequent faster, but also less military units, so it is a trade off between expnsion and exploration. The best way I found using MY BUILDQUEUES, not saying other ways arent better, but was starting with the BGs until te first settler so getting quite a few military units, then switching to flood plains to get faster pop for the subsequent settlers.

 

[Rik Meleet]

Great story !
Since you want advise: It seems you settled on the spot. Your research started 1 turn later. If you instead immediately go to th F6 screen and pick a tech; you gain 1 turn in research. That can be a lot.

 

[MSTK]

Great story !
Since you want advise: It seems you settled on the spot. Your research started 1 turn later. If you instead immediately go to th F6 screen and pick a tech; you gain 1 turn in research. That can be a lot.

I forgot to do that
Oh well. It sounded nice in the story.

 

[MSTK]

CHAPTER 4: Contact & War…Again
Recovered from the lost diaries of Byzantine’s elite military advisors

I cannot really say that I am very proud at this great feat. All the work the Despots have poured into this “exploration” nonsense has not even payed off. What have we gained from it all? Only other great barbarians like these Indians who want to kill us off. So what do we have to show for it? Being ranked “The Pathetic Byzantines” on this Toynbee’s archives is a great honor. Constantine would definitely be proud. Oh well. At least we eliminated the Indians from the top eight.

Just today we have met with the Koreans up north our shore. It looks like that Christophe Elsar person succeeded. Looks like the Elsars are becoming famous. Danier Elsar, the great leader of the Second Battalion. Kenarhn Elsar, his son – lone survivor on the Indian Front. And now Christophe, Kenarhn’s step-brother, has discovered a new India. Another threat. Another barbarian tribe that has the power to invade us.

In a council meeting, negotiations were made.

Obviously, Iron Working was a must. We did not have a single archer, for crying out loud. This “advisor” system is very corrupt. The advisors only have a voice, but no arm. But if we have Iron Working, which these Orientals beat us to, then we can finally build up a true force that the world will fear. They brought us a sample of this Iron – a strong material so powerful that it could pierce bronze like wood.
Unfortunately, information was a coin. They wanted both Ceremonial Burial and Horseback Riding for it.
Who needed those, anyways, when you had Iron?!

But our Science Advisor was almost in tears, the wimp. Alexander Nerdian, his name was. I shall declare anyone who is so obsessed with knowledge a “nerd”. Yes, that shows their stupidity well.

Wow. How conceited. How dare he go against us nerds!

However, Empress Theodora was not so lenient. She swindled the Koreans into adding 35 more gold into the deal to use to fund more science.
Though I dare not go against her this way, she is an idiot! She is a nerd!
…
There is a knock on the door. I must get it.

It is well-known that the night that he wrote this entry is the same night that he was executed.
It is also fun to note that at the source of the River of Silver was an abundant supply of silver iron.

I can’t say that I didn’t tell them so!

The Indians declared war with us! And who takes the blame? I have the urge to say the ignorance of Queen Theodora, but the memory of a former Military Advisor goes against it. No, this fault lies with the Second Battalion. “Brave Elsars!” Yeah, right. Kenarhn Elsar’s trespass of the Indian Territory drove the attack upon our newly formed city of Caesarea down the River of Silver, which was formed to harvest the silver iron at its source – Spire’s Reach.
And because of the famous “Scouters”, the Indians have decided to attack our “well-defended city”, according to Theodora. And do I see defense? No! All I see is a puny battalion of untrained Warriors. Not even a spearman! How can the line of despots become so drawn away from Military Requirements?!

If Theodora is not yet convinced of the importance of the Military, then she sure will when she sees the failure of the doomed Elsar Battalion. I’ll make sure of it.

Well, the First Battalion was not doomed after all. They took a lot of gold from a barbarian camp that was said to have been bribed to fight the Elsars, who were now in their third generation of greatness.


The Military Advisor was put to death for treason. His efforts were definitely in vain, for even if the Second Battalion had fallen, a new discovery was soon found by the Great Elsars: Sweorcan Island.


The Second Battalion was not neglected, either. The Elsars found another “Goody Hut”, and the Science Advisor made his report with an uncomfortable glee:


Obviously, if the Military Advisor had gotten away with his treason scheme, he still would have committed suicide because of his stupidity.

I am aware that this journal is being monitored by the Great Theodora of the Successful Byzantines, who are lead by such a beautiful Empress. I believe that every choice that she makes, even without my influence, is a great one.
In fact, she has decided to send a warrior firce from a new city to liberate the one the Indians took from us. This is an ingenious plan, as not only will this warrior force be doomed to die from the disadvantage of attacking from across a river, but this will also leave our new city open for razing from the Indians. I applaud Theodora’s great intelligence.

That’s a good boy. Unfortunately, he was wrong. Theodora’s great plan lost hopelessly.

Drat. Well, we can’t win them all, right? Especially not a nerd…like me, not the Great Empress. Today, I was asked by her why I was not giving her advice like an advisor should. I replied, “You are doing fine on your own, like your ancestors have been doing for the past 3000 years, without my help.”
She thanked me and then proceeded to reveal her great plan: leaving our capital Constantine unprotected and moving the Spearman to attack the Indians. This would take away their over-the-river advantage.
While this plan is great, I presented her with another, just for fun purposes and not intending that it would be implemented. I suggested that we use our brand new horses to build Horsemen, and diverting Constantinople’s entire workforce towards it. As well, we should do the same with our other city that is now unprotected, but close by. Instead we will build a warrior. They will both arrive at our taken city at the same time, except the Warrior would have crossed the river first. Then, they will both attack. Amazingly, Theodora sacrificed her own plan and accepted mine. I am very greatful, yet undeserving of such grace.

It was as close as the Military Advisor could get without going too far off Theodora’s plans.

And, what do you know! It worked! But, alas, I am sure that Theodora’s great send-the-only-spearman idea would have worked better. So, I put on my chirpy attitude and face and made my report.


Soon after that, I suggested that we make peace. Theodora gladly accepted the humble advice of a meager servant.

And I have to congratulate science on allowing the Elsars to find us a new potential enemy after this war!

God bless the Elsars. And they are now writing a book about their accomplishments! It is called The Great Unknown, Written and Illustrated by Coullon Elsar.

Here is an excerpt:

The Third Scouting Battalion set off as soon as possible. News had arrived that the Second Battalion had successfully destroyed the Barbarian camp. This would mean that they are in the shadow of Rea Mænon. Was this something they should have been proud of?
Brae Aften pondered this situation hopelessly. Rea Mænon had passed away long ago and was now replaced as captain by Danier Elsar. A great captain he was, but did not survive to see the great siege laid on the Barbarians.
Brae ground his teeth at the thought of the Barbarians. They were a savage lot, the whole of them. If he had it his way, he would have wiped them off the planet for sure. The great civilizations of the Byzantines and even the Indians were more essential. Who knows what the world would be like now if the Barbarians had just stayed out of the way.

Meh. I think that the writing style is too bland and tries futily to incorporate a soap-operaish drama.

 

[Yom]

Why the hell did you found Nicea on the FP wheat? You waste *a lot* of growth potential. An FP wheat city would have had the potential to pump out 4-turn settler, and is guaranteed 5-turn settlers forever.

 

[MSTK]

I don't see any floodplains with wheat

 

[elementgoo]

I like how you named everything! Look at my thread about naming places on the map:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showt...&threadid=71922

 

[Yom]

Oops, I meant Ceasara, not Nicea (that's what you get for glancing at the map). It is built on a floodplain wheat. I would move it and make the city a settler factory.

Editelementgoo: 404 Item not found.