mayor
Heart & Mind
great story twist for their RL 
(RFC) The Spanish Empire
- Thread starter Icaria909
- Start date
j_mie6
Deity
subbed
The clinking of trinkets emanated from the bedroom. Antonio was busy rifling through the cabinet drawer of his mother's room looking for a key. His mother had a box of candy she kept in the kitchen, locked up and only to be opened on special occasions. He could have sworn that she had left the key somewhere in here... Then he picked up a card of old paper with a bunch words on it and a familiar picture. He stuffed it in his pocket for later. Right now the key was more important.
That night, the professor opened the door to Antonio's room to find him sitting on his bed trying to read some scrap of hard paper. He walked in and sat down next to him, the book lying right next to his knee.
"Grandpa, what is this? I can't read it." He sadly turned the card over to the professor. Holding it between his gnarled old fingers, the professor exactly what it was with only the briefest glance. On the top was the name Alejandro Unamuno, and a picture of young man in uniform. It was dated from the previous year.
"It's nothing you have to worry about," the professor replied. He tried to keep his voice steady and he quickly stashed the card in his coat pocket. His thoughts were flying everywhere. He needed to get rid of the card. Its touch was burning in his pocket. Taking several deep breaths, he opened the book and began reading.
" The Romans had conquered a great deal of territory over the years. The emperors now thought it was necessary to send colonists across the world to found colonies that would be loyal to Rome."
His thoughts wouldn't quiet down. He could remember all of it so clearly. He had answered the door for him...
"In the year 330 CE, colonists founded two new important outposts near the Roman frontiers."
... two men in uniforms had stood at the door...
"One was near the Aegean in Anatolia."
... they had said the country was attacked...
" The other settlement was in Hispania, near the south by an old Carthaginian settlement."
...need recruits...
" By 350, the Eastern frontier against Babylon had been set when another Roman colony sprang up on the Black Sea."
... country at war...
" By this time, the capital of the Babylonian state had fallen to a barbarous people known as the Persians. This let many Roman cities expand their culture borders further East."
... he'll be sent north...
" Years of war and plague had helped to make the situation in Egypt very unstable. Her debilitating wars against the Africans in the Horn of Africa and the raids by barbarians had all let the Egyptian military shrink to barely acceptable levels."
...period of eighteen months...
" The Romans had been at war with Egypt for years and razed a city of theirs off the coast. Their weary queen capitulated and Egypt became a vassal of the Empire."
... Don't worry they said...
"After helping the Egyptians to construct a new port city, and forcing them to call it a Greek name, the Romans sent technology, money and soldiers to help defend the kingdom.* By 410 CE, Egypt had become a prosperous colony of Rome."
... his wife and son will be given money by the state...
"Rome had expanded greatly since the beginning of the fourth century but her finances were collapsing under the weight of her administrative responsibilities. She began a period of domestic restructuring."
... cannot refuse the draft; its his duty....
"Slaves were sent East to build up the infrastructure of the Eastern Empire. Roads were quickly built to unite the cities of the East, while towns, farms and workshops sprang up outside all the major cities of Italy and Greece. One last set of colonists had departed from Rome, but otherwise the Empire had neared its greatest extant. The Empire and her cities were growing rich and the world began to whisper their jealousy of the Roman state."
... your son will make you proud...
The professor closed the book and kissed the boy's forehead. The card was still burning in his pocket. He just had to get rid of it. The thoughts would then stop. The professor walked quickly toward the door.
"What's going to happen tomorrow?" Antonio yelled after his grandfather. The professor hadn't heard. He closed the door and walked out.
That night, the professor opened the door to Antonio's room to find him sitting on his bed trying to read some scrap of hard paper. He walked in and sat down next to him, the book lying right next to his knee.
"Grandpa, what is this? I can't read it." He sadly turned the card over to the professor. Holding it between his gnarled old fingers, the professor exactly what it was with only the briefest glance. On the top was the name Alejandro Unamuno, and a picture of young man in uniform. It was dated from the previous year.
"It's nothing you have to worry about," the professor replied. He tried to keep his voice steady and he quickly stashed the card in his coat pocket. His thoughts were flying everywhere. He needed to get rid of the card. Its touch was burning in his pocket. Taking several deep breaths, he opened the book and began reading.
" The Romans had conquered a great deal of territory over the years. The emperors now thought it was necessary to send colonists across the world to found colonies that would be loyal to Rome."
His thoughts wouldn't quiet down. He could remember all of it so clearly. He had answered the door for him...
"In the year 330 CE, colonists founded two new important outposts near the Roman frontiers."
... two men in uniforms had stood at the door...
"One was near the Aegean in Anatolia."
Spoiler :
... they had said the country was attacked...
" The other settlement was in Hispania, near the south by an old Carthaginian settlement."
Spoiler :
...need recruits...
" By 350, the Eastern frontier against Babylon had been set when another Roman colony sprang up on the Black Sea."
Spoiler :
... country at war...
" By this time, the capital of the Babylonian state had fallen to a barbarous people known as the Persians. This let many Roman cities expand their culture borders further East."
... he'll be sent north...
" Years of war and plague had helped to make the situation in Egypt very unstable. Her debilitating wars against the Africans in the Horn of Africa and the raids by barbarians had all let the Egyptian military shrink to barely acceptable levels."
...period of eighteen months...
" The Romans had been at war with Egypt for years and razed a city of theirs off the coast. Their weary queen capitulated and Egypt became a vassal of the Empire."
... Don't worry they said...
"After helping the Egyptians to construct a new port city, and forcing them to call it a Greek name, the Romans sent technology, money and soldiers to help defend the kingdom.* By 410 CE, Egypt had become a prosperous colony of Rome."
... his wife and son will be given money by the state...
"Rome had expanded greatly since the beginning of the fourth century but her finances were collapsing under the weight of her administrative responsibilities. She began a period of domestic restructuring."
... cannot refuse the draft; its his duty....
"Slaves were sent East to build up the infrastructure of the Eastern Empire. Roads were quickly built to unite the cities of the East, while towns, farms and workshops sprang up outside all the major cities of Italy and Greece. One last set of colonists had departed from Rome, but otherwise the Empire had neared its greatest extant. The Empire and her cities were growing rich and the world began to whisper their jealousy of the Roman state."
... your son will make you proud...
The professor closed the book and kissed the boy's forehead. The card was still burning in his pocket. He just had to get rid of it. The thoughts would then stop. The professor walked quickly toward the door.
"What's going to happen tomorrow?" Antonio yelled after his grandfather. The professor hadn't heard. He closed the door and walked out.
christos200
Never tell me the odds
Again, great update.
*It should noted that while I don't have pictures for it, I had gifted a settler to Egypt. When they founded that port city, I used world builder to change its name to Alexandria. I also changed the city formerly known as Sur to Antioch. I like these names more than the native one's of the game.
jtb1127
Deity
Very nice update.
MoreEpicThanYou
The most Epic.
Chilling! Can't wait to see what happened. Facist Spain, anyone?
Linkman226
#anarchy
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2007
- Messages
- 2,493
Franco!
Antonio sat in the front row, with his grandfather's book gently wresting on his lap. Dressed in a tiny black suit that was a little too big for him, he sat moaning about his boredom. Rising on each side of him were thick columns of stone the size of large tree trunks, and beneath this forest of grim granite sat his mother crying softly into her bible.
Antonio looked around at the spacious ceiling that seemed to float above the golden altar at the front. Following the ceiling to the end of the cathedral, there beneath the bronze statue of Christ was a smooth wooden box with a red and yellow flag draped over it. A priest stood at the front, his hand clasping the shoulder of his sobbing grandfather who was kneeling at the altar. Antonio couldn't take much more of this, so he left his seat dragging his grandfather's book in his tiny backpack behind him. He sat down two rows behind his mother near his older cousin and threatened to cry hysterically if he didn't read to him. The boy reluctantly relented and opened the book to where a book mark had saved his grandfather’s progress.
"Twerp! Fine, but as soon as the ceremony starts you leave, got it? Alright, here we are... In 430 CE, the Romans received better maps from the eastern provinces and discovered that Persia really had conquered Babylon. The Emperor thanked the Lord for alleviating the military burdens in the east by laying waste to a hated Roman enemy."
Antonio's aunts didn't seem to notice his migration to their row and continued to talk loudly to each other, intermittently interrupting the storytelling of his cousin:
"... It was in Germany; I'm pretty sure. Can you believe how they were ambushed?" one said to the other.
"In the same year, Roman settlers settled a new city south of the Danube on the Adriatic Sea. Now, both the western and the eastern Roman Empires were connected."
The other aunt replied, "The barbarous Russians! At least the army eventually fought them off, and with the help of El Gran Capitán they were able to push them back..."
"The Roman emperor was delighted that his empire spanned three continents and was by far the greatest empire the world has ever seen. He ordered his cartographers to prepare a map that would document the splender of his grand empire."
"... I can't believed he died. Poor Yolanda."
"Constantinopolis continued to grow at a prodigious rate. Her great engineers finished the Moai statues by the end of the fifth century."
"... I heard she received his medal the same day she got the letter. I only pray that I never see that notice."
"However, to decrease the strain on the finances of the Empire, the Emperor decided to gift the city of Jerusalem to his client kingdom of Egypt in 530.
"... I know, poor Yoli. I wonder how Antonio is taking it?"
Then the ceiling roared in response as the bells began their thunderous dance in the bell tower. Antonio's cousin put the book in his pack and helped him off the bench so he could take his seat. The people sat silently as the priest lifted his hands as he called out "Réquiem ætérnam dona eis, Dómine; et lux perpétua lúceat eis. (Eternal rest give to them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them)."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Walking out of the building, Antonio ran his fingers along the wall, feeling the thick stone sea shells that were carved along the stone. Then he ran through the thick throng of people toward his grandfather. He looked stunned and bewildered but he quickly recognized Antonio. Sniffling, he held out his hand for his grandson and his book. Antonio opened the book to right before the priest had started the ceremony and asked, "What's in the next chapter?"
He scanned the page and trying to hold back a surprised chuckle, his kind grandfather meekly replied, "Why, it's the Arab invasion son. It's the Arab invasion..."
Antonio looked around at the spacious ceiling that seemed to float above the golden altar at the front. Following the ceiling to the end of the cathedral, there beneath the bronze statue of Christ was a smooth wooden box with a red and yellow flag draped over it. A priest stood at the front, his hand clasping the shoulder of his sobbing grandfather who was kneeling at the altar. Antonio couldn't take much more of this, so he left his seat dragging his grandfather's book in his tiny backpack behind him. He sat down two rows behind his mother near his older cousin and threatened to cry hysterically if he didn't read to him. The boy reluctantly relented and opened the book to where a book mark had saved his grandfather’s progress.
"Twerp! Fine, but as soon as the ceremony starts you leave, got it? Alright, here we are... In 430 CE, the Romans received better maps from the eastern provinces and discovered that Persia really had conquered Babylon. The Emperor thanked the Lord for alleviating the military burdens in the east by laying waste to a hated Roman enemy."
Spoiler :
Antonio's aunts didn't seem to notice his migration to their row and continued to talk loudly to each other, intermittently interrupting the storytelling of his cousin:
"... It was in Germany; I'm pretty sure. Can you believe how they were ambushed?" one said to the other.
"In the same year, Roman settlers settled a new city south of the Danube on the Adriatic Sea. Now, both the western and the eastern Roman Empires were connected."
Spoiler :
The other aunt replied, "The barbarous Russians! At least the army eventually fought them off, and with the help of El Gran Capitán they were able to push them back..."
"The Roman emperor was delighted that his empire spanned three continents and was by far the greatest empire the world has ever seen. He ordered his cartographers to prepare a map that would document the splender of his grand empire."
Spoiler :
"... I can't believed he died. Poor Yolanda."
"Constantinopolis continued to grow at a prodigious rate. Her great engineers finished the Moai statues by the end of the fifth century."
Spoiler :
"... I heard she received his medal the same day she got the letter. I only pray that I never see that notice."
"However, to decrease the strain on the finances of the Empire, the Emperor decided to gift the city of Jerusalem to his client kingdom of Egypt in 530.
Spoiler :
"... I know, poor Yoli. I wonder how Antonio is taking it?"
Then the ceiling roared in response as the bells began their thunderous dance in the bell tower. Antonio's cousin put the book in his pack and helped him off the bench so he could take his seat. The people sat silently as the priest lifted his hands as he called out "Réquiem ætérnam dona eis, Dómine; et lux perpétua lúceat eis. (Eternal rest give to them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them)."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Walking out of the building, Antonio ran his fingers along the wall, feeling the thick stone sea shells that were carved along the stone. Then he ran through the thick throng of people toward his grandfather. He looked stunned and bewildered but he quickly recognized Antonio. Sniffling, he held out his hand for his grandson and his book. Antonio opened the book to right before the priest had started the ceremony and asked, "What's in the next chapter?"
He scanned the page and trying to hold back a surprised chuckle, his kind grandfather meekly replied, "Why, it's the Arab invasion son. It's the Arab invasion..."
JamesCaesar
People-Vulture
MUST UPDATE! DAMN CLIFFHANGER! ffjosfjsgjdgpdjf!
Linkman226
#anarchy
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2007
- Messages
- 2,493
Par excellence.
christos200
Never tell me the odds
awesome update!!
hoplitejoe
Top fun-poster
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2010
- Messages
- 5,470
I guess with all the troops you have stationed in France a Spanish invasion won't be on the cards for a while.
I actually don't have many troops in the west. Like 3/4s of my troops are in Palestine, Egypt and Anatolia. No use in trying to defend basically worthless territory in the west
jtb1127
Deity
You pretty much have the historical empire? Wow. Yes, keep troops in North Africa if you wish to defend it from of Native Impis.
I'm close, but no matter what I did I couldn't seem to get all the way there. Ideally I would have had one more settler in Northern Spain, one in Libya, one in the Balkans and I would have had to have captured Tushpa (that city that makes up roughly Armenia) and Babylon to have made it to Trajan's empire. As it stands, I have most of the core cities that make up the traditional Roman Empire though
"I'll send you the check on Monday...
"No, you do not need to sell the TV...
"Yoli, you know I will help you and Antonio in any way I can...
"Please, I have work I must finish. We can discuss this later."
The professor hung up his phone. The sharp action echoed down the deserted halls of the university basement where the professor was hunched over his research. The old beaten pages of his manuscript lay open beside his him as he referenced it in his readings.
"Unamuno! Is that you all by yourself?" A distant voice ricocheted down the hall. In a moment, there stood an old man hobbling down the hall with a thick cane.
"Azorín, my friend, what are you doing here at this late hour?" the professor replied. Azorín chuckled as he meandered over to the professor's desk.
"Why, I came to see my favorite pupil from the old days..." he said nostalgically. "What are you working on here?" He leafed through the professor's manuscript and the book opened to where Antonio's bookmark had saved his progress.
"It's just the book I'm working on. I'm trying to finish my final chapter..."
Azorín stopped paying attention to the professor as the words and pictures on the page stole his attention. He half listened to what the professor was saying, all the while trying to keep reading the book. While the professor explained his problems to his old mentor, Azorín began to read.
"Many years had passed since the glory days of the fifth century. Religious unrest, barbarian invasions and political fragmentation all took a heavy toll on the Roman Empire. By the seventh century, rumors of a prophet somewhere in the Arabian desert trickled into Jerusalem. Then they came...
The Arabs came like a whirlwind and many people in the Middle East accepted these barbarians as new rulers in 640.
Already reeling from the loss of the eastern provinces, the emperor was discouraged when a diplomat from the distant kingdom of Ethiopia declared war on Egypt and Rome. Egypt became further destablized as African barbarians ravaged the countryside. Finally, the state could not support itself and the Egyptian kingdom collapsed in 670.
The Empire's coffers felt the effects of these lost provinces more than anything else. Fortunately, Roman engineers finally managed to finish the Hagia Sophia in Constantinopolis in 690.
The emperor decided it was time that the Empire saw a new Capital. He designated Constantinopolis as his new capital and began constructing a palace there. However, Rome was still the foundation of this empire and in honor of this status, Rome was granted the honor of building the apostolic palace in 710.
And then the barbarians in Hispania called themselves the succesor to the True Roman Empire, and it became the haven for many Citizens of Rome during the turbulent peiods of the 700s...."
" ...and now I am not sure what I should include."
Azorín looked perplexed as he tried to recall what the professor was talking about. "what do you mean?"
"I mean, would you look over the final chapter and tell me what I should include and take out? I am not sure what will pass the censors."
Azorín flipped through the final chapters of the book and immediately recognized what Unamuno was talking about. "Why are you including this?"
" What's the point of discussing the history of the Spanish people if I don't write about what happened after the war?"
"I understand, but you know he will never allow this book to be published if you cast him in such a negative light..."
" I am only writing the truth. Nothing more and nothing less."
"Then take it all out. The last four chapters. Everything after '36. That should save you the headache of the dealing with the censors."
The professor was about to protest when his phone began vibrating on the hard metal table. On the front was displayed the word Yolanda. He took a deep breath and paused for a moment.
"Would you want to talk about this over Dinner? I'll pay," the professor replied after a pause.
" Yes of course. You know, I really want you to publish this book. I want to get the next chapter about the birth of the Spanish Empire."
"No, you do not need to sell the TV...
"Yoli, you know I will help you and Antonio in any way I can...
"Please, I have work I must finish. We can discuss this later."
The professor hung up his phone. The sharp action echoed down the deserted halls of the university basement where the professor was hunched over his research. The old beaten pages of his manuscript lay open beside his him as he referenced it in his readings.
"Unamuno! Is that you all by yourself?" A distant voice ricocheted down the hall. In a moment, there stood an old man hobbling down the hall with a thick cane.
"Azorín, my friend, what are you doing here at this late hour?" the professor replied. Azorín chuckled as he meandered over to the professor's desk.
"Why, I came to see my favorite pupil from the old days..." he said nostalgically. "What are you working on here?" He leafed through the professor's manuscript and the book opened to where Antonio's bookmark had saved his progress.
"It's just the book I'm working on. I'm trying to finish my final chapter..."
Azorín stopped paying attention to the professor as the words and pictures on the page stole his attention. He half listened to what the professor was saying, all the while trying to keep reading the book. While the professor explained his problems to his old mentor, Azorín began to read.
"Many years had passed since the glory days of the fifth century. Religious unrest, barbarian invasions and political fragmentation all took a heavy toll on the Roman Empire. By the seventh century, rumors of a prophet somewhere in the Arabian desert trickled into Jerusalem. Then they came...
The Arabs came like a whirlwind and many people in the Middle East accepted these barbarians as new rulers in 640.
Already reeling from the loss of the eastern provinces, the emperor was discouraged when a diplomat from the distant kingdom of Ethiopia declared war on Egypt and Rome. Egypt became further destablized as African barbarians ravaged the countryside. Finally, the state could not support itself and the Egyptian kingdom collapsed in 670.
The Empire's coffers felt the effects of these lost provinces more than anything else. Fortunately, Roman engineers finally managed to finish the Hagia Sophia in Constantinopolis in 690.
Spoiler :
The emperor decided it was time that the Empire saw a new Capital. He designated Constantinopolis as his new capital and began constructing a palace there. However, Rome was still the foundation of this empire and in honor of this status, Rome was granted the honor of building the apostolic palace in 710.
Spoiler :
And then the barbarians in Hispania called themselves the succesor to the True Roman Empire, and it became the haven for many Citizens of Rome during the turbulent peiods of the 700s...."
" ...and now I am not sure what I should include."
Azorín looked perplexed as he tried to recall what the professor was talking about. "what do you mean?"
"I mean, would you look over the final chapter and tell me what I should include and take out? I am not sure what will pass the censors."
Azorín flipped through the final chapters of the book and immediately recognized what Unamuno was talking about. "Why are you including this?"
" What's the point of discussing the history of the Spanish people if I don't write about what happened after the war?"
"I understand, but you know he will never allow this book to be published if you cast him in such a negative light..."
" I am only writing the truth. Nothing more and nothing less."
"Then take it all out. The last four chapters. Everything after '36. That should save you the headache of the dealing with the censors."
The professor was about to protest when his phone began vibrating on the hard metal table. On the front was displayed the word Yolanda. He took a deep breath and paused for a moment.
"Would you want to talk about this over Dinner? I'll pay," the professor replied after a pause.
" Yes of course. You know, I really want you to publish this book. I want to get the next chapter about the birth of the Spanish Empire."
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