Prologue: In Your Europe, Vandalizing Your Rome
Gaiseric stood under a tree to avoid the rain. The winter of 324 had been a cold one, that was for sure, and water in some form had fallen from the sky more often than usual. That it was even warm enough to not be snow any more was probably a good sign. It certainly hadn't been good for a bunch of migratory people like the Vandals, as it was harder to go around when you had to worry about not freezing to death. And yet they had to keep moving- the Huns had shown up a while ago, and now everyone was moving West to get away from their Horsemen. The Vandals certainly didn't want to be in their path if they could avoid it, or in the path of people running away from the Huns.
As they had been for centuries, they were currently in forests, now near some rivers and more grassy areas. They appeared to be in Eastern Europe now, although they'd lost track a while ago. Where exactly did Asia stop and Europe begin? Were they in Eastern Europe, or perhaps Central or Northern Europe? Hell, did it even matter? With the bad maps of the region that existed, it was hard to tell where exactly they were. Perhaps the Scythians and older Gothic and Germanic tribes had once been in this general area, but if so, Gaiseric didn't have their maps. All he knew was the general area they were in, and a map of what the Roman Empire claimed as its own. Some claims those were- it was steadily falling apart, not even able to keep in one Empire anymore, with Constantine's recent split of Rome in two. Most of the areas it claimed were far enough away from any cities to mean those claims were in name only. It would be easy for any barbarians worth their name to get in and settle somewhere behind the Rhine and Danube Rivers that Rome had set as the borders of the Empire. The Eastern half was probably even more vulnerable to invasion into Anatolia.
The Vandals would hopefully be able to get a piece of the pie when Rome inevitably comes crashing down, but for now, they'll settle for this area they have.
So, in this general area, they were going to build cities. The question is, where exactly? Certainly, they should stick to the rivers, to help the cities grow and to facilitate commerce. And not on top of the wheat or game, that would be a waste. Sadly, they couldn't squeeze all of their population on the rivers, they'd have to spread out a bit, but hey, that wasn't too bad, there was room there, and there might be more rivers they didn't know about. All in all, they had 7 groups of Migrants ready to Settle down. So, the Raiders decided to look around a bit, to help decide. Later, the Workers would also move, but not to go look for things- using workers as scouts doesn't really seem like a smart idea.
The workers were sent to make use of the Furs and the Wheat in the North, and also to eventually get the Iron in the South. It was not yet very useful to them, as they didn't know much about making Swords, but given time, it would be. They'd build other improvements on the way there.
The Migrants went to the destinations that had been decided. A couple hadn't yet gotten an exact location, but their location would be decided when they got there. In 324, 4 of them were fast enough to move to their decided location and settle there by the end of the year. The other three would get to their city location later. First, the city of Hippo Regius was built, in an area on the western river, the Vistula, that was basically in the Center of the Vandals' area.
To the Northeast, on a river they couldn't name but knew was a tributary of the much larger Dnieper to the East, was built the city of Syracuse.
Gaiseric then challenged his people to build a city that didn't sound like it should be in what used to be Carthage, and they answered with Zucchabar, also on the Vistula, but a bit to the North, near some Furs. He was happy at first, but further research showed that that city name was, in fact, Carthaginian.
And they didn't even try with their next name- Cartennae, to the west near some Cows and Marshes. Sigh. Eh, who cares about originality, anyway?
Gaiseric then consulted his scientists for advice on what to research.
Some suggested they learn how to ride Horses, which would also somehow tell them where Horses were. An interesting suggestion, and probably a good one, too. Others suggested building techniques. Still others suggested learning how to build decent boats, which was stupid, as they weren't anywhere near any coastline as far as Gaiseric could tell. In the end, they decided on coming up with an Alphabet, as that would lead to more important things, and could also be used to trade with people, if they ever found anyone to trade with.
With 324 over, the next several years were relatively uneventful. The Raiders kept exploring and looking for things to Raid and other important things. They headed outward in nearly every direction, finding little that they didn't already know, but hopefully that would change soon. The Workers built roads and other improvements, hoping to connect important resources to the network and eventually connect the cities to each other.
In 328, 2 more cities were ready to be built. Saldae, to the South of Hippo Regius near some valuable Iron...
...And Rusicade, a bit to the East, the first city they had not on a river. It was instead on a clearing in the forest, and served largely to fill space.
The last migrant reached its destination in 330. It was on a new River to the west of the Vistula, which they believed others had called the Oder, and that was what they would call it. It was also on a road build a long time ago, by either the Romans or the Goths. It probably led to Rome, like all roads.
The Raiders would explore to the North and South along this road, hoping to meet new contacts, the Romans included. It's always nice to meet new people to hit in the head with an axe.
For now, the Vandals only have a 7 city empire to attend to, but it will get bigger. It will get better than ALL you stupid little countries. WE WILL RULE! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
