AD 1154: The Wool Trader in St. Gallen send a Shipment back to Schwyz. Großherzog Beinbrech oversees the repatriation of the last Danish POWs this year, making King Canute rather happy. (Attitude goes from annoyed to Polite!)
AD 1156: Dr. Frankenstein announces that he's developed a system of Marksmanship training, with the help of Markgraf Arexander's Archers.
Korpskommandant Sephiroth von Niebelheim begins upgrading our Archer companies to Peasant Crossbow companies, starting with Arexander's Archers. Dr. Frankenstein begins researching Edumacation next.
AD 1160: Word arrives that Castile is attempting to build the Leaning Tower in Leon, the Sicilians have started building it in Palermo (their capitol) and the Aragonese have started construction of the same building in Tarragona... Fortunately, Basel already has a good head start on it.
AD 1162: The Plague hits Schwyz.... Großherzog Beinbrech moves all government offices to his private retreat in the mountains outside Schwyz until the plague runs its course. For some reason the Großherzog has taken to calling his retreat "Camp David"....
AD 1164: Dr. Frankenstein goes to the Großherzog Beinbrech's hunting lodge in "Camp David" to announce that he's finished developing techniques of Edumacation, and he is directed to begin research into Holy Warfare... Crusaders will be our most powerful foot units for the foreseeable future!
In the meantime, the Black Plague spreads to Zürich, no doubt thanks to merchants traveling the Zürich/Schwyz/St. Gallen trade route...
Near the end of the year, King Roger II of Sicily sends envoys offering a trade deal where they give us Furs in exchange for some of our Amber and 3 Ducats per year... Großherzog Beinbrech is only too happy to accept!
AD 1166: Another Varangian Guard unit is recruited by the Varangian Guard HQ in Schwyz, on top of which the last of our Archer companies are finally upgraded to Peasant Crossbowmen.
AD 1168: Queen Isabella manages to complete the Bayeaux Tapestry in Burgos, beating us to it! Graf Marius, not to be discouraged, simply switches the current project into founding the Sorbonne University instead. (Sorbonne Univ doubles research output and grants 7 culture per turn!)
AD 1170: The Black Death finally dies out in all the affected cities, allowing all troops and government officials to return. To celebrate, Graf Bucky Rea von Zürich christens our third Galley, the
SMS Sonne.
AD 1172: Dr. Frankenstein announces that we've completed research into Holy Warfare, and that he and Korpskommandant Sephiroth will begin research into Armorcrafting, which will allow us to upgrade our Mercenary Guards into Armored Spearmen.
As if that wasn't enough good news in one year, the Spice Trader in Thun and Amber Trader in Bern send Shipments back to Schwyz.
To top all of this off, construction of the Leaning Tower of Basel is completed this year as well!
The citizens of Basel go wild with joy!
AD 1176: Lucerne finishes organizing a Pilgrim party, which is sent to Zürich to board the
SMS Sonne... Hopefully the ship will be able to find some unclaimed land somewhere!
Großherzog Beinbrech meets with Queen Isabella and trades City State to them for Ecclesiatiocracy.
Graf Buckyrea breaks ground for a new Royal Port in Zürich, which will not only allow us to upgrade our ships and train veteran crews, but will also provide a significant boost to productivity, fishing and ocean trade (Royal Port is a SW that produces vet sea units and also increases food, trade and shields in water).
AD 1178: A Fur Trader is established in St. Gallen to process and sell the furs that are arriving from Sicily.
The Gold Mine in St. Gallen sends a shipment of 250 Ducats worth of Gold back to Schwyz.
AD 1182: Dr. Frankenstein and Korpskommandant Sephiroth announce that they've worked out the details of Advanced Armorcrafting, and that they will now try to establish a Code of Chivalry, which should improve our Knights' combat abilities.
All Mercenary Guards begin reporting to the nearest Forge or Stable (or the capitol) for issue of new equipment and retraining as Armored Spearmen.
The Salt Trader in Basel sends another Shipment back to Schwyz.
AD 1186: Großherzog Beinbrech wins the race for Notre Dame! Construction of the famous Cathedral is competed in Schwyz this year.
(Notre Dame makes 3 people happy in the city that builds it and 1 person happy in every other friendly city as well as producing 7 culture per turn!)
Not one to leave grass growing under his feet, the Großherzog begins construction of the Charles University (unique wonder for Switzerland that boosts research by 50% and halves unit upgrade costs)... Schwyz is rapidly becoming a great center of learning.
The Wine Trader in Bern sends a Shipment back to Schwyz. Lucerne completes training of our first Crusader company. (in addition to having 5 att and 3 def, they also can build Fortresses).
Late in the year, in what appears to be a jealous fit of rage due to losing the Leaning Tower to us, King Roger II sends several companies of Sicilian Swordsmen to attack Basel!
Yes, despite HAVING A RIGHT OF PASSAGE AND A TRADE AGREEMENT ACTIVE, the Sicilians declare war on us! One of the Sword companies manages to wipe out a Knight company in Basel before being driven back!
Foreign Adviser Hans Klugschwätzer, upon hearing the news says to Großherzog Beinbrech, "What great fools, Großherzog! Their diplomatic reputation will NEVER recover from this idiocy!"
"Oh, you're quite right!" Großherzog Beinbrech growls in reply, "I'm going to wipe them off the face of the earth as an object lesson to our OTHER neighbors!"
AD 1188: Bern completes construction of the Sorbonne University and Zürich completes construction of the Royal Port!
In addition, our last Mercenary Guard unit is upgraded to an Armored Spearman unit, and not a moment too soon, either!
A company of Men at Arms wipe out a Sicilian Spearman unit that landed outside Thun, while the Warriors accompanying them are wiped out by a Knight company.
One of our first Crusader companies wipes out a Sicilian Swordsman Northeast of St. Gallen.
A Knight company from Basel wipes out the Swordsmen that killed our Knights last year. All offensive troops march out Basel and St. Gallen to attack the Sicilian town of Tropea next year!
Late in the year, a Sicilian counterattack on our invading army forces a company of Knights to retreat.
AD 1190: Dr. Frankenstein and Korpskommandant Sephiroth submit their final draft code of Chivalry and begin working on establishing Military Orders.
The Honey Trader in Bern and the Dye Trader in Zürich send shipments back to Schwyz... The money from the sale of the goods is used to hurry troop training and armament projects around the Confederacy!
Another Varangian Guard unit is recruited in Schwyz and all Knights begin reporting for upgrade to Chivalric Knights (Chivalric Knights have the same stats as Crusaders, but they also have 2 movement)
Swiss troops descend on the Sicilian border town of Tropea, with a Crusader company, Arexander's Archers (veteran Peasant Crossbowmen) and a Man at Arms company wiping out three companies of Sicilian Spearmen in the initial thrust. A Sicilian Man at Arms company forces a company of our Knights to retreat, but another Knight company runs them down and slaughters them to the last man!
Tropea is captured! Großherzog Beinbrech declares that Tropeas current location is unsustainable, due to both its proximity to Basel as well as the fact that the surrounding terrain is not favorable with food production. Therefore, the citizens are ordered to begin packing up their belongings and will move to the Silver-bearing hills to the West, which will give them access to the unworked vinyards (Wines) just outside of St. Gallen's influence as well as to some rich grasslands... No wonder the town had such a low population!
Another Knight company attacks some Sicilian Men at Arms outside the city, but is forced to retreat.
Later in the year, that same group of Men at Arms, despite taking some casualties from our Knight company, decided to attack Tropea, and end up getting slaughtered by our Crusader company defending the city.
AD 1192: Arexander's Archers wipe out a company of Sicilian Swordsmen outside of Tropea.
AD 1194: Schwyz completes construction of the Charles University!
The Wool Trader in St. Gallen sends a shipment back to Schwyz.
Korpskommandant Sephiroth reports that all Knights, except for the company on board the
SMS Sonne have been upgraded to Chivalric Knights.
The new class of Chivalric Knights proves their worth by stomping a Sicilian Archer company outside Catania into the ground, earning a promotion to Veteran status.
AD 1196: That same company of veteran Chivalric Knights wipes out a unit of Sicilian Spearmen outside Catania, destroying the Border Fort (radar tower) they were defending, paving the way for the rest of our troops to sack the city next year!
AD 1198: Dr. Frankenstein and Korpskommandant Sephiroth announce that they have worked out the details for establishing Military Orders and begin work on a system of Heraldry.
Swiss Chivalric Knights hit Catania, wiping out both companies of defending Spearmen and capturing the city, along with a worker party!
Upon entering the city, our troops discover a detestable Slave Market in the city! (Slave Markets are available with Barter and increase production, but one of my "variant" rules is that I will never have anything to do with slavery or such). General Dumanios, commander of the Chivalric Knights that took the city, orders the abomniable place torn down, all the slaves freed and has the slave traders that ran the establishment hung from the town's Gallows!
For his prompt action to end this practice of detestable tyranny, Großherzog Beinbrech promotes General Dumanios to the status of a Freiherr (Baron) and grants him rule of the provisional Canton of Catania.
To the Northeast, a second attack column wipes out a company of Sicilian Swordsmen and dismantles a Border Fort outside Napes... Naples will hopefully fall next turn!
Near the end of the year, a Sicilian Lateen Galley attacks the
SMS Morgenstern and is sunk by the
Morgenstern's brave crew!
AD 1200: Großherzog Beinbrech begins work to establish the Knights Hospitaller in Schwyz (produces free, powerful Hospitallers every 8 turns
)
In the North, our Chivalric Knights wipe out the three companies of Spearmen defending Naples and the city is captured, along with 31 Ducats, two Catapults and three Worker parties!
General Sparthage, commander of the Chivalric Knights that captured the city, is granted the title of Freiherr and is appointed as governor of the provisional canton of Naples.
Freiherr Sparthage puts the captured catapults to immediate use, bombarding a company of Men at Arms to the North, scoring a few solid hits. A veteran Chivalric Knight company finishes them off and is promoted to Elite status.
And so it is, with Sicily getting its butt handed to it on a silver platter that this chapter comes to a close.
The latest and greatest map of Switzerland:
Haven't read past that post, but it looks awesome.
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