Lokki242
Emperor
To: Emperor of the Romans
From: Ashot the Pious, King of Armenia
We understand we spoke out of turn. Please forgive our insolence.
SKNES: Architecture of Aggression
- Thread starter SouthernKing
- Start date
From: Ashot the Pious, King of Armenia
We understand we spoke out of turn. Please forgive our insolence.
SouthernKing
crickety cricket
Update 1: A Death in the Faith (775 AD/157 AH)
Christianity in the three centuries since Constantine had seen one unbroken streak of advances against Europe’s pagans. Once the majority, the pagans had been reduced to the dark and non-Romance north and east and small enclaves such as Epir. But that advance, once seeming unstoppable, rapidly stalled in light of some stunning shifts.
The pagan counterattack began in Jutland. One of the last truly pagan states in Europe, it was determined to fight the armies of the White-Christ from the south. With a state-sponsored meeting of Forn Siðr priests, shamans, and wise men, an organized religion was created, and a new age began. The creation of an organized structure helped increase literacy, propelling the Jutes further towards a truly glorious civilization. Forn Siðr was brought to foreign shores and lands, and has spread through Germany and even to Britain. The masses of the southern Pope were nearly driven completely from Jutland, due to the Jute King’s strict focus on this matter. Allying with Norse tribes in Scandinavia, the Jutes gained footholds there. Raids on independent German, Frisian, and Baltic cities have netted some plunder.
But this was nothing compared to the events unfolding in Constantinople. Emperor Constantine V, in a move that stunned the world, had the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church executed. The Orthodox churches, including the grand Hagia Sofia, were all to be converted into temples and shrines for the old gods. Just as Rome had quickly adopted Christianity centuries earlier, so did it rapidly revert to the old pantheon. Orthodox clergy were forced to convert or face death. Some were able to flee to Sicily, but the Orthodox faith was effectively gutted. Some did not take this lightly; the Empire was brought to near collapse several times, but brought itself back, despite severe casualties inflicted on the Byzantine soldiers putting the rebellions down. Especially bloody wars tore through Anatolia, but in the end they were all quashed with high cost. Although Byzantine forces landed in Taranto to attempt to save its Italian possessions, fearful Catholics rose up and pushed the Byzantines back to the coast. Although Italy is still nominally claimed by the Byzantines, they have lost effective control over all but a sliver of the southern coasts.
(Byzantine Casualties: 5 Irregular Companies, 1 Swordsman Company, 2 Horseman Companies)
Alexandros tou Epir was stunned to hear the news. He immediately placed his brother Manuel in charge of training Epir’s best archers, especially in the hilly and mountainous terrain of Greece. The Princess Alexandra was sent to Sicily to wed. Life goes on in this small but suddenly relevant state, as it now shares the same gods as Constantinople.
Sicily assumed the title of the sole Orthodox state of any relevance in Europe, and began to expand beyond its island fortress. The island of Malta was integrated into the kingdom, and Sicilian soldiers landed on and occupied the islands of Pantelleria with no significant resistance.
The Pope, now fearful for his own power after the events in Constantinople, began consolidating his power in Rome. The small principalities around Rome were convinced to join the Pope’s lands for protection. The collapse of Orthodoxy left a gaping hole that Papal missionaries rushed in to fill up, and while they were mildly successful, it was nowhere near what the Pope wanted. In the meantime, the Pope ordered the Catholic nations of Europe to help fill the Papal coffers; some did, but not as much as the Pope potentially would have liked.
While the Vandals may have settled in North Africa and converted from their pagan roots to Islam, they have not yet forgotten their barbaric past. The independent, weak Christian settlements on the western Mediterranean islands and coasts of France and Italy, unprotected, cowered in fear of the Vandal raider ships prowling the coasts. Funded by the Sultan himself, the raiders came ashore, pillaged, plundered, and sacked, and then left. But the Vandals’ policy of not raiding the lands of major countries would backfire; in a mass exodus, the denizens of a fragmented countryside fled for the safety of Aquitaine, Savoy, Venice, Sicily, and even the lands of the Pope. Not only did that deprive the Vandals of their plunder as the independent lands quickly emptied up, it upset the worsening power vacuum in Italy as the country empties of its people. By 775, there was a growing fear that the Vandals would raid Venice itself; this has not yet come to pass.
Venice quickly became defined by one major creation: the Venetian Arsenal. The Arsenal, which was to become by far Europe’s largest industrial complex for centuries, was commissioned in 752 by Marcus Aurelius Cassius, who had dreams of turning Venice into a Roman-style Republic. Not only boosting the Venetian economy, the Arsenal served as a shipbuilding center. With the completion of the Arsenal, the entire Venetian fleet was upgraded to be among the superior in Europe; the Arsenal also enabled Venice to construct navies quicker and cheaper than normal. To the west, Savoy’s unique blend of Christianity serves as a block for Catholic activity in northern Italy and southeast Francia, much to the chagrin of the Pope.
Francia underwent major shifts during this period. The Duchy of Aquitaine accepted protection and vassalage to the Frankish Empire, and Princess Eleanor of Aquitaine was wed to Emperor Charles of the Franks. Emperor Charles proclaimed that “Aquitaine is the first piece in building the greatest empire we will ever know.” That prediction is quickly proving to possibly be true; Aquitaine’s armies marched into Provence and seized the region from the local rulers with only minor casualties, and the Frankish army proper occupied the lands east of the Rhine in Frisia. Aquitaine has conducted a religious cencus of its population, Librus Domini, “the Book of the Lord.” This census has convinced many of the native animists to accept the Christian faith, and more and more are converting with every given day. In the city of Paris, growing rich as a result of being the capital of a rising nation, a school of higher learning was built, the first of its kind outside the Muslim world. The Franks could forge a new Roman Empire; only the marches of an army can prove or disprove that.
(Aquitaine casualties: 1 Irregular Company; Frankish Casualties: 2 Irregular Companies, 1 Swordsman Company)
In Britain, Eborica, still following its strange hybrid form of Christianity, has begun to refurbish the long-neglected roads built and then abandoned by the Romans. All the while, the Forn Siðr faith from across the North Sea has arrived in both Eborica and the Catavlu lands to the south and west; still too small to be relevant, but as Britain has now become a crossroads of gods, one and many, it could make a difference.
In Cordoba, a renaissance of sorts had begun. Although the Roman forerunners were not Muslim, it mattered little to Abd al-Rahman, who kept a collection of Roman volumes. Shortly before his death, it was decreed that these works were to be studied and their born fruits given to the Cordoban nation. Under his sons, the old Roman infrastructure of Hispania began to be refurbished and renovated. The project’s funding came in part with the institution of the Jizya tax, placed on non-Muslims; coupled with growing trade, this was enough to give a minor boost to the Andalusian state’s economy. The Jizya had an added bonus; if the tax was paid, a non-Muslim would receive exclusion from military service and equal treatment as a Muslim, drawing Jews especially to Cordoban lands. Another institution was enforced: Zakat, a tax on large land holdings given to charity to help the poor and needy. Since Zakat is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, the measure was met with little opposition. The young continuation of the Umayyad Caliphate, it seemed, was destined to survive.
In the Sultanate of Castile, marketplaces and bazaars were opening up in every major city, funded by the Sultan. Castile has begun to develop into the trading center of al-Andalus.
The union of the Emir of Barcelona’s sister, Zaidra Dadira, with a member of Cordoba’s royal family is pinpointed as the beginning of a new age for Barcelona. Izz-ud-Dim Ahmad, Emir, ushered in a boom in trade by sending a fleet of merchants to Cordoba along with the bride. Barcelona became a center of learning as well, with scholars from all across Iberia are being ushered to the royal court.
The fourth nation of al-Andalus, Badajoz, while seemingly the weakest, had other ideas than what the courts of the world had to say about them. Building up an army, Badajoz’s Emir had a promise to make; he would be Caliph of al-Andalus within a century. While the claim was laughed at by many, the Emir was determined, and he would try to do it.
Across the strait, in Morocco, the Sultan looked to the west, and saw the islands he called al-Kenary – the Canary Islands. The Moroccans have built some tentative settlements there, and the islands are beginning to be used as a trading post to barter with the peoples of the south – those living in places such as Ghana, who have not yet embraced Islam.
The Zengids of Palestine built a school of higher learning in the city of Aleppo, and scholarship blossomed in this country. Equal, if not superior to, Badajoz in learning, the Aleppo school kept many fine works of classical antiquity alive, preventing their burning by the barbaric rabble of much of Europe. The Emir Ibrahim toured the country’s major cities and the countryside, surveying for a potential new road system in this most holy of lands.
To the east, the Abbasids, ruling from their ever-growing city of Baghdad, kept the peace in their huge realm, quietly building up their army, as did the Sharifs of Hijaz south of that. The Sharifs have begun building a road network through the sands, connecting much of the Arabian Peninsula under their domain, in the hopes of uniting what is left of Mecca’s rule. To the north, under the rule of King Ashot the Pious, the Armenian peoples of the South Caucasus have united as an Orthodox remnant state, high in the hills. This is
The Fatimids quickly overran Makuria. However, in a last-ditch effort to salvage his country, the king of Makuria accepted vassalage to the Fatimids if he kept his lands, with the exception of the coast, and was allowed to maintain Coptic Christianity as an accepted religion. The Nubian civilization lived on, if subjugated. The Fatimids themselves are preparing to move on to their next target, Axum; but Axum will not be so easy to conquer, as they
(Fatimid Casualties: 3 Irregular Companies, 1 Swordsman Company; Makurian Casualties: 3 Irregular Companies)
In the Persian sands, twenty-five years of peace seems to be at an end. In the Tahirid court of the north, in the dark of night, a guard caught a spy in the court, sneaking through the king’s items, and his throat was slit in front of the Sultan. Days later, another spy was arrested and executed in Hormuz. The two states were now at each others’ throats. Although war has yet to come, the fate of Persia lies in the balance. To the east, the watchful Guptas of India are keeping a close eye on the situation, waiting to see if they can swoop in and grab a slice for themselves.
The Tatars have tried to find land for grazing, but in the end, it was simply not enough. They wanted more. And they would find it. Tatar horsemen crossed the frozen Danube in one particularly harsh winter into Avar lands, and quickly cut off the Avars’ access to the coast. The horsemen are racing inland, and although the Khaganate has not been completely overrun yet, it seems to be only a matter of time.
(Avar Casualties: 4 Tribal Warrior Companies; Tatar Casualties: 1 Horse Archer Companies)
In the northeast, the Polish tribes began to amass Europe’s largest army. While they continue their relatively isolated existence for now, they funded improvements to their largest city, Warsaw, and their plans for the future remain extremely unclear from any perspective. Beyond even that, the fledgling Kingdom of Novgorod is placing firm roots; it has begun to establish a trade link with Constantinople, and build its own road network. It has expanded to integrate some of the Livonian peoples of the Baltic coast, with little cost.
Even as nations begin to slowly rebuild, and fight over things higher than simple riches and plunder, the age of the barbarians is not yet over. The Tatar horselords are unleashing themselves upon the Avars, and the frozen northlands and the eastern steppes are home to many peoples, ready to adventure, fight, and raid for plunder and whatever is left of the old empires and nations. Civilization has reached a crossroads.
The real question is whether or not it will be ready to survive the onslaught that is soon to come.
Please don't post yet, map and stats on the way
Amon Savag
The Great
To:King of Armenia
From:Emperor of Byzantium
I will not hold it against you. I can understand the fear you must have right now, but I assure there are much more pressing matters for me to attend to than the re-paganising of your country. It's not even on my "to-do" list.
EDIT: WHUPS! I posted right as you posted. I'm pretty damn sorry.
From:Emperor of Byzantium
I will not hold it against you. I can understand the fear you must have right now, but I assure there are much more pressing matters for me to attend to than the re-paganising of your country. It's not even on my "to-do" list.
EDIT: WHUPS! I posted right as you posted. I'm pretty damn sorry.
SouthernKing
crickety cricket
Spoiler Map :
Spoiler Stats :
OOC:
By request, Odin-Worship is now known as Forn Siðr.
I also renamed Greco-Roman Polytheism to Hellenic Pantheon; it simply sounds less unwieldy yet carries the same message across.
Orthodox is now Orthodox Remnants
Mosher was temp-NPCd for this turn, and Boundless dropped, leaving Omega124 and Lord of Elves as the only players who failed to send orders. Not bad for the first turn.
Nutranurse has joined as the former NPC of Barcelona, and lokki242 has joined as the new nation of Armenia.
Those of you who wished to create new nations can do so now.
I'll do NPC diplo later.
erez87
Lord of Random
- Joined
- May 16, 2002
- Messages
- 13,500
"That is far from enough. So much has been spent on peaceful conversion. Look at that madman from the East. With force he twisted the entire population. I am in shock."
"My pope, what are our plans?"
"God never meant for us to be peaceful to the heathens. Slaughter in the name of god those who do not choose him as their savior."
"My Pope?"
"Send a letter to all Christian nations. The madman from the East is ever closer to the Holy See. If Rome will fall, it is a punishment from god that they did not support the Pope enough."
"What else?"
"Manage the armies. We need a larger force. Christianity cannot die out. God will not let it. He will bless our swords to slaughter the enemies. I will personally drive to awake the Christians of Europe. God has spoken and given me his orders. The madman from the East must die."
"Yes my Pope. I will do so at once."
As the Cardinal left to manage things the Pope remained in his room. He dropped to his knees and begun to pray. "My god in the heavens. I will do your bidding. I will unite the Christian world behind me and wage a war on the Pagans, one never seen before. I pray for your blessing."
DIPLO
From the Pope:
to all Catholics:
The war has begun and here I am to unite you behind me. God has given me direct orders! He has commanded me to make a call, a grand call to war on the eastern terror. Every true believer capable of wielding a weapon must do so, for now the Holy Ghost commands!
A crusade is declared on Byzantium! The Emperor of the Byzantines must be brought to holy justice and rot in hell! The Father, the son and the Holy Spirit command us to do so!
If the Christians will not stand and fight, god will forsake us all, Rome will fall, and doom will be brought to the entire world!
to Italian city States:
I have never imagined god would request this of me, but I have been ordered to unite the Italian peninsula in order to fight the menace of the east. God asked me only to unite Italy and the entire Christian world until the menace of the east has been defeated. Unite or perish!
to Catholic Nations:
If it was not obvious from the declaration of a Crusade, all must send resource to Rome for its defenses and an army to fight in Greece and Byzantium. I care no more for the dangers of such a journey. God have commanded, fail and lose your fame with the Pope and with god.
This world is destined to hell if the beast of the east is not brought down.
"My pope, what are our plans?"
"God never meant for us to be peaceful to the heathens. Slaughter in the name of god those who do not choose him as their savior."
"My Pope?"
"Send a letter to all Christian nations. The madman from the East is ever closer to the Holy See. If Rome will fall, it is a punishment from god that they did not support the Pope enough."
"What else?"
"Manage the armies. We need a larger force. Christianity cannot die out. God will not let it. He will bless our swords to slaughter the enemies. I will personally drive to awake the Christians of Europe. God has spoken and given me his orders. The madman from the East must die."
"Yes my Pope. I will do so at once."
As the Cardinal left to manage things the Pope remained in his room. He dropped to his knees and begun to pray. "My god in the heavens. I will do your bidding. I will unite the Christian world behind me and wage a war on the Pagans, one never seen before. I pray for your blessing."
DIPLO
From the Pope:
to all Catholics:
The war has begun and here I am to unite you behind me. God has given me direct orders! He has commanded me to make a call, a grand call to war on the eastern terror. Every true believer capable of wielding a weapon must do so, for now the Holy Ghost commands!
A crusade is declared on Byzantium! The Emperor of the Byzantines must be brought to holy justice and rot in hell! The Father, the son and the Holy Spirit command us to do so!
If the Christians will not stand and fight, god will forsake us all, Rome will fall, and doom will be brought to the entire world!
to Italian city States:
I have never imagined god would request this of me, but I have been ordered to unite the Italian peninsula in order to fight the menace of the east. God asked me only to unite Italy and the entire Christian world until the menace of the east has been defeated. Unite or perish!
to Catholic Nations:
If it was not obvious from the declaration of a Crusade, all must send resource to Rome for its defenses and an army to fight in Greece and Byzantium. I care no more for the dangers of such a journey. God have commanded, fail and lose your fame with the Pope and with god.
This world is destined to hell if the beast of the east is not brought down.
Amon Savag
The Great
Yeah! All catholics rise up and fight the heathen empire of Byzantium! Nevermind the muslims who are poised to march into France, the Danish raiders from the north, or the tatar conquerers from the east! They're not interested in your lands at all!
erez87
Lord of Random
- Joined
- May 16, 2002
- Messages
- 13,500
Yes! The Pope and the Holy See comes first! Without them, there is no Catholicism...
Lokki242
Emperor
I would advise against a movement such as this. Move against the Vandals, the Romans have already been pushed from your lands, and the Vandals are but raiders. Besides, I do not wish to be pushed into a conflict against you, which the Emperor would force if you were to assault him.
erez87
Lord of Random
- Joined
- May 16, 2002
- Messages
- 13,500
Mortals who deal with nothing but their daily lives can "advice" all they want. I am not even a little surprised at how easily the Orthodox church disappeared and was devoured by the great Satan of the east if all you deal with is your body's survival. You soul is surrendered for this world? How do you expect to gain heaven if here you go against god's wishes? You lose your faith and let your Patriarch die without a fight? Pathetic! I would rather die in this world and rise to heaven than live in this world as a pathetic worm under the boots of Satan!
The Vandals, The Muslims, they are all but tools in the hands of god to punish the Catholics who do not do god's bidding. The horror of the east, he is a tool of the devil, to bring the end of faith itself.
You are pathetic for allowing your brothers to die and not fighting for their souls. Pathetic and hell bound! Do you think I fear suck meek people such as yours in this crusade against evil?
Angst
Rambling and inconsistent
I claim the area around Baden-Wirtemberg.
Lokki242
Emperor
I simply do not wish to have either of us wiped of the face of the earth. I believe strongly not only in the Orthodox Church, but in the Catholic as well, and it would bring me great pain and eternal torment to be forced to battle against a true believer, one who's honour and faith shall be celebrated in heaven.
erez87
Lord of Random
- Joined
- May 16, 2002
- Messages
- 13,500
A believer! HA! I laugh at your comments! A believer who stands aside when his brethren are slaughtered. A believer that chooses his own survival over god's own words. What kind of believer are you? I find it a joke that you would call yourself one. A believer. HA!
I would be wiped out of the Earth in a fight against the devil rather than survive as a worm, Worm. Fight against us and you will fight against god himself. Worms do not last long against god. Emperors will fall before him, worms are not even a concern.
Lokki242
Emperor
You will come to regret your decision, Liar and Thief. The people have no need for you, they can pray for themselves. You speak of faith, but all I hear is lies. Lies to cover for your own greed. You call your crusade not for Christ, but for fear. We live with no fear. I do not fight, because where would those flee the Emperor's wrath go. I just make my decisions, and If it means I shall die. But I do not die for nothing. Perhaps you Catholics should learn that. It is what Christ taught. Christ would not of sacrificed himself if it had made no difference. He chose to die so he could protect others. Watch your words carefully, Hibrid.
erez87
Lord of Random
- Joined
- May 16, 2002
- Messages
- 13,500
Ha! How dare you speak? Thousands of Orthodox died at the hands of the one you call an ally! You aided the death of your own brethren. We see how much it worked when you prayed by yourself for survival, how the prayers saved the Orthodox church. It didn't. God have obviously punished you.
Fear? I fear only god. God who commands the end of evil, the end of treachery, as you have done. Treachery against god and his people.
Pathetic worm. Speak of faith, yet would not even protect his god's believers. Watch your own words worm. For god has a special place for all kinds of evils in hell.
Lokki242
Emperor
What difference would I have made? Thousands more dead would be all that came of resisting.
erez87
Lord of Random
- Joined
- May 16, 2002
- Messages
- 13,500
So small of faith. You deserve to be a worm of the Romans.
to the Muslims:
Heathens! I have been given a command from the lord, to destroy the evil that sits at the throne of Byzantium at any cost. You may be heathens who believe in a false way to uphold god's ways, but you are superior to the beast in Byzantium, who kills all monotheists, yours as well as mine.
Attack the murderer, for once Rome falls, the crazy Emperor who wishes to rebuild the Roman Empire will surely conquer your lands as well.
SouthernKing
crickety cricket
My inbox is pretty much full; please don't send PMs until I can clean it up, thanks.
SamSniped
DJ Goodboye
To The Pope
From Marcus Aurelius Cassius, Doge of Venice
If it comes to war, the nation of Venice is at your command. Our navies are being constructed at this very moment, and every able-bodied man is being given a sword and being trained.
---
Events up to 775 AD-
752- Construction of the Venetian Arsenal begins
755- Construction is completed, and Venice becomes the leader in naval production. its fleets dominate the Mediterranean.
769- Small city-states start joining the nation of Venice, talking about the Byzantine Empire
772- The news about the Byzantine Empire is finally sorted out, which shocks the nation
---
Marcus Aurelius Cassius stepped into the Venetian Arsenal, which was not just a shipbuilding location but also a gathering place.
"Friends, Venetians, countrymen, lend me your ears!" Marcus boomed. The whole structure fell silent and everyone focused on their ruler.
"A few years ago, we received news of the horrors that are happening in the East. The Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire has decided to kill any one of a monotheistic religion and crucify him or her." Gasps came from the crowds.
"The Pope has decreed a crusade against the Heretics, and now I need you men to ready yourselves! All able-bodied men not working on shipbuilding are to report to the training grounds and prepare yourselves for war. Shipbuilders, we need the ships as soon as possible. Spread the news!"
Marcus stepped down from the balcony.
---
"Cornelius, Julius, you are my two most trusted advisors," Marcus told them over dinner. "This is why I choose to tell you that I want to reform the government."
'What?" the two men asked simultaneously.
"I believe that a monarchy is too...overpowered," Marcus began. "A Republic is better, less possible corruption than a monarchy or empire."
"But my lord," Julius asked, "will the people accept it?"
"With my silver tongue, of course!" Marcus exclaimed. "Think of it, them thinking of it as a will of god to restore the original Roman Republic, and take down the evil Byzantines who kill us and anyone who believes even in one god."
"There was a reason you became king, my lord-" Cornelius began.
"Doge, Cornelius. That is my new title."Marcus interrupted.
"-and that was to become a ruler of a republic," he finished.
"So, my best men, do you agree upon this?" Marcus asked.
"Yes," they replied in unison.
"I will meet you tomorrow."
---
"My people of Venice!" Marcus shouted to the crowds of the training grounds. "The time of a single, permanent ruler is over! The Byzantines are the proof of this! They put to much power into one man, and do you see what has happened? He kills monotheistic believers, including the likes of us! The power needs to be divided, like in the republic of Rome before Julius Caesar!" The crowd started muttering.
"The Holy Father and the Holy Ghost have told me that this is what is necessary! The Pope shall coexist with us peacefully, but the emperor of the East shall not go unpunished for his crimes! Soon, my people, you will go to war under the banners of Marcus Aurelius Cassius, Doge of the Republic of Venice!" Cheers erupted from the crowds, overpowering the few who did not support this.
"For liberty, nation, and the True Faith, men, spread the word! Every man who is not making weapons and can lift a sword is to report here this instant! we need every man possible to take down the heretic Eastern Roman Empire!"
Soldiers ran out of the training grounds to tell their relatives and neighbors of the change. And so my life is complete, Marcus thought.
Similar threads
