Guys, I cannot apologize enough for my prolonged abscence. I'm lucky enough to have a job that isn't too demanding, except at certian times. Well, we hit one of those times, and since I just changed departments, I didn't really have much warning. I'm so sorry I disappeared on you guys like that. Hopefully, we can still carry this game forward.
And for future reference, if (and hopefully this won't happen again) you don't hear from me within 72 hours, please feel free to skip me and go on. I won't be offended, promise.
And now, without further ado, my post...
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Excerpt from Donald Henleys From Cub to Hunter: An analysis of the growth of the English Empire
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The reign of Raven the Second is a particularly interesting time to historians because of the remarkable cultural achievements the English saw under his rule. Like his namesake, Raven the First, Raven the Second was a builder. In fact, the army expanded virtually not at all under his hand. Fanatical when it came to infrastructure, Raven greatly expanded the core of Imperial Engineers, and often spoke of his great dream: to see all the cities of the Empire connected by a standard road system. Unfortunately, he died before seeing this dream a reality, but so intense were his efforts only a few short years after his passing, the final road would be laid to Coventry. He also founded the city of Warwick on the flood plains of the Tames, and continued to seek peaceful relationships with his neighbors. He also launched two amazing projects, the Pyramids in London, and the Colossus at York. Death claimed him long before he could see either of these projects even halfway to completion, but history must remember him as the initiator.
But what truly sets Raven the Second apart is the virtually every city in the Empire gained a temple during his rule. The cultural growth experienced under his hand is truly amazing even today. The people of the countryside flocked to the English banner, and thousands of square miles fell under English jurisdiction. So intense was the cultural assault that valuable incense was claimed from the Germans near Coventry! Given all he has left behind, it is tempting to remember the reign of Raven the Second as a golden age for the English, where art blossomed and the people triumphed under a glorious ruler.
But the truth is far darker. Raven the Second was, in fact, a vicious tyrant who never strayed far from his whip. The glorious buttresses that even now enchant visitors at Nottingham are build above the mass graves of the wretches that Raven used up laying the foundation. It is estimated that 2000 men died in the construction of the Dome at Warwick. And at Kalashnikov, where the spires of the Rhandan reach towards the heaven, the occasional bone cache is still discovered by restoration crews. History judges Raven the Second fondly, and it must be said that the Empire emerged from his rule stronger than ever before, but it is important to remember the name he was given by the guilds of Hastings: aedificator amensentis; the Mad Builder.
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And the end of rule screenshot...
)
). Sort of a paternal sense. More so then in a solo game. Funny eh?
