Heaven On Earth: Part Two

[Kurt_Steiner]

The bigger that one enemy is, the noiser is its fall.

[Edzako]

The bigger that one enemy is, the noiser is its fall.

Hopefully he will not crush asd underneath him with his giant mass

[Enewald]

Does Vivaldia mean the nowadays Caribbean or whole America?
Did they discover the main continent?
Are the berbers in Algeria independent?
Shouldn't Egypt controls all of Sudan?

Does Mali control all West-Africa?
No mongols in turkestan?

Island and Grönland are no-ones?
Maybe local noble-democracies?

[asd21593]

Does Vivaldia mean the nowadays Caribbean or whole America?
Did they discover the main continent?
Are the berbers in Algeria independent?
Shouldn't Egypt controls all of Sudan?

Does Mali control all West-Africa?
No mongols in turkestan?

Island and Grönland are no-ones?
Maybe local noble-democracies?

GAH! So many questions!

I can answer them all with a simple "its a different history" or "you'll find out later."



asd

[asd21593]

Heaven On Earth

Andronikos II: Return To The City Of God
(Mood Music)

Emperor Andronikos II came to the throne at the age of 32. He was in his prime and he intended to accomplish much before his body began to decline. Just months after his ascension to the throne, he followed in his father’s footsteps and declared war on the Mongols, or at least, the Middle Eastern Mongols. Immediately, the armies of the Orthodox Empire rose up and marched into the Caucasus and the Holy Land.

A relatively small contingent of about 8,000 Orthodox troops also sailed towards the Crimea. Despite being devastated by the Mongols half a century ago, it was still a trading center and one of the few places where east met west. Andronikos II, being the economic man that he was, saw the importance of this small peninsula and sent his best soldiers to recapture the land. During the Mongol occupation of the Crimea, they built quite a number of forts; they also saw the importance of it. So when the Orthodox troops landed, they were met with difficulty. But, while the Mongols had built many forts, they did not garrison each fully. So, after many long sieges, the Orthodox troops had secured the Crimea by 1294.

Orthodox soldiers sieging a Crimean fort

To the south, 40,000 Orthodox troops were moving in the Caucasus. The heavily mountainous terrain originally caused a lot of difficulty. The army had a hard time maneuvering through the mountain range and was constantly harassed by Mongol raiding parties. But, they did inspire the local Orthodox majority to rise up against the Mongols. The Mongol aristocracies in each town were killed by rioters and guerrilla fighters attacked the Mongol supply lines. The fighting was brutal, and each winter lowered each side’s numbers by the thousands. But since the Orthodox supply lines were intact, while the Mongol supply lines were torn to shreds by Caucasian warriors, the Orthodox won out by 1293. However, the Orthodox army did encounter much resistance in Azerbaijan, a still heavily Muslim population, who would rather have Muslim Mongol overlords. Fighting in Azerbaijan continued long after the Mongols were eliminated from the Caucasus. The brutal suppression of Azerbaijani rebels did not end until 1296. By the time all of this was over, the Orthodox army in the Caucasus was lowered to about 30,000.

The Holy Land was invaded by the largest Orthodox army, led by Andronikos II himself. Estimates say 80,000 Imperial troops made their way into the Levant in the summer of 1291. The first major city they laid siege to was Antioch. The old city fell within the month. The army moved its way down the coast, until it reached the Holy City: Jerusalem. The battle for Jerusalem was conducted in a very careful way. Andronikos II was very religious and wanted to do as little damage to the city as possible. He never fired a single shot from his catapults. He opted instead for the more dangerous tactic of siege towers and battering rams. This caused more Orthodox casualties, but less damage to the city. Finally, after many assaults, the Orthodox broke through on September 30th 1292.

A depiction of the Siege of Jerusalem in 1292

The Imperial army poured through the gates and the broken walls and rounded up the Mongols. Andronikos II forbade his men to kill within the “sacred sectors” of the city. The Mongols knew this and horded themselves in the areas deemed holy. The Orthodox response was to swiftly surround these groups and disable them. Arrows were fired towards legs and arms. Nets were thrown over the men and animals charged into the Mongol ranks and gravely wounded many. Finally, these groups were rounded up and taken out of the city. They were marched all the way across the Jordan River and finally, an estimated 15,000 Mongols were executed.

Clergy and soldiers leading the Mongols out of Jerusalem to where they would be executed

After some “cleaning up” of Mongol pockets throughout the region, Andronikos II was finally satisfied. His armies were tired and beaten down and the Mongols were gearing up for more. Andronikos II decided to sign peace with the Ilkhanate in 1295. The populace of the Orthodox Empire rejoiced and celebrated the recapturing of the Holy Land for months and all people celebrated Andronikos II as a great emperor who conducted a very effective war. The rest of Andronikos II’s reign was peaceful, aside from the occasional silencing of Azerbaijani rebellions. During his reign, the coffers of the Orthodox Empire were filled to levels not seen since Alexios II. A revival of all things Orthodox took place and the Empire became the center of the Mediterranean world once more. Andronikos II died in 1332 at the age of 73. His 41 year reign was mostly peaceful and extremely prosperous. But his accomplishments would soon be challenged by a threat different from any the Empire had ever faced before.

[Kurt_Steiner]

The Black Plague? In a totaly insuitable moment, damn it, now you were on the way of success!

[Edzako]

The Black Plague? In a totaly insuitable moment, damn it, now you were on the way of success!

Well I guess it will ruin life for everyone, so Orthodox Empire isn't in worse situation than everyone else, but it sure will make Europe a lot more unpleasant.

[Treppe]

They were marched all the way across the Jordan River and finally, an estimated 15,000 Mongols were executed.

No mercy for the heathens?

[asd21593]

No mercy for the heathens?

Damn right!

Kurt_Steiner and Edzako: This Black Plague will be different than the historical one, with wider effects

Hmmm....will it be less fatal or more?



asd

[asd21593]

Heaven On Earth

World 1332: A Fool’s Paradise
(Mood Music)

Much had changed during the reign of Andronikos II. The Orthodox Empire had grown into a Mediterranean powerhouse once again. It was by far the richest nation in Europe and had grown to encompass much of the eastern Mediterranean. Its control of the Crimea and the Levant brought exotic trade from the East and gave the Empire a vital connection to the Silk Road.

In Iberia, the Christians had invaded the Almoravid Empire once again. They steadily made gains in the 1320s until peace was signed, reducing Moorish land in Iberia to slivers along the coast. However, the Almoravids began to compensate for the loss of their precious Iberian territory by expanding along the coast of Africa. The Moorish leaders had long foreseen the inevitable loss of Iberia to the Christians, and started to expand down the Western African coast.

Iberians fighting Muslims during the Reconquista

Elsewhere in Africa, the Egyptian Empire, led by the Orthodox nobleman “Emperor” John V Laskaris had expanded greatly. It was now about as large as the true Orthodox Empire. John V led his forces into Nubia and Ethiopia, lands that had been Orthodox Christian for hundreds of years. The Egyptian forces poured into Nubia and easily conquered the divided land. But Ethiopia was a bit more centralized and harder to take. John V tried to overcome the Ethiopian mountains but failed after his army threatened to rebel if they didn’t stop marching. He made peace and only took about half of Ethiopia.

The splendid capital of the Egyptian Empire: Alexandria, which had a growing Muslim community

In Ireland, the English and Scottish warred again and the English finally got the upper hand. By the 1310s, the English had captured all of Ireland and long wars between the English and Scottish over Ireland were over. In Scandinavia, the now old King Birger of Sweden invaded Norway after a succession crisis. He took Olso within a couple of months and forced a surrender which gave Sweden the northern areas of Norway.

Francesco Dandolo was a Venetian nobleman living in the Holy Roman Empire. In 1308, he inspired a revolt against the German “Roman” overlords and it quickly spread across all of northern Italy. Italian nobles gathered their forces, killed the German administrators and pushed back the German armies into the Alps. Once the front line was the Alps, the Germans felt it was too costly to keep sending armies over the treacherous mountains and gave the Italians their freedom. The rich region collectively came under the rule of the newly founded Republic of Venice, led by Francesco Dandolo as the first Doge.

Italian nobles revolting against the Germans

The Delhi Sultanate under Sultan Alauddin Khilji grew greatly. During his reign, the Sultan held back attacks against the Mongols and fostered trade with Indian Ocean nations, his merchants and fleets reached as far as the Egyptian Empire. He led his forces to the east and conquered Bangladesh. He spread Islam throughout his lands and encouraged Muslim inquisitors to use any method, often brutal ones; they pleased to spread their religion. By the end of his reign, Hindus in the Delhi Sultanate had gone from the majority to about a 30% minority. To the south, in Indonesia, the Majapahit rulers had conquered all of the island of Sulawesi.

In the Vivaldia, colonization was in full swing. Excited by prospects of gold and wealth, thousands of Europeans were willing to make the trek to Vivaldia. The Papacy sent even more colonists to the new world and colonized the entire Antillian Islands. They even colonized a bit of the mainland, claiming the tip of Fioria as their own. Fioria was named so because of all the flowers that Papal explorers found there. The Spanish colonized their own land farther north, calling it Alfonsia after their current king. Even farther north, the Holy Roman Empire established their own colony, which they named New Bavaria, after the homeland of their current Emperor, Louis IV.

Native Vivaldians riding towards European colonial villages, getting ready to attack

In all these colonies, the natives were not treated well. Native Vivaldians had no centralized leadership and their lands were easily taken by the Europeans. A perfect example of this is when the island of Manna-hata was sold to the Germans for a small sum of gold coins, and it was renamed New Munich and became to rich trading center of New Bavaria. Natives were exploited on colonial plantations and many died of over exhaustion and disease. The Native Vivaldians were particularly susceptible to diseases like smallpox, though the Europeans were just as affected. Whenever Vivaldian tribes tried to fight back, the technologically advanced Europeans crushed them. By 1332, colonization was becoming the favorite pastime of European kings, though it was soon to be abruptly halted and threatened.

A map of the world in 1332

[Lord Valentine]

Oh an interesting turn the world is taking! And man those native Americans, äh "Vivaldians" have adopted cavalry fast! Looks like the technological gap might not be that huge after all!

I just have one question concerning the Holy Roman Empire. Is it really one centralized country or just dozens of smaller principalities thrown together under the same heading? If so which are the most powerful states within it?

~Lord Valentine~

[Edzako]

Poland under German rule, some things never changes.

[asd21593]

Oh an interesting turn the world is taking! And man those native Americans, äh "Vivaldians" have adopted cavalry fast!

Oh sh*t! Didn't even notice the horses....
Just pretend that those are say, an isolated groups of smart Vivaldians



asd

[asd21593]

The Glorification Of Milites

Hello again, time for another glorification, this months saint is Milites!

1. Congratulations! Why don’t you start by telling us a little bit about yourself:
Thanks a bunch, I'm an 18 year old Gymnasium (high school/secondary) senior living life to the fullest in Aarhus, Denmark. I study three specific subjects as my majors, which are German, English and political science. When I'm not toiling over the works of Goethe, Giddens and Shakespeare I enjoy doing what every young and healthy person likes to do; getting wasted and play paradox games. Other than that I have a sound interest for history, philosophy and theology (Bultmann and Kierkegaard are two of my absolute favorites).

2. What does your username mean?
Well it's actually pretty straightforward. It's the Latin equivalent of "soldier" or knight. I had this whole thing with Latin going on at the point I signed up so that's the reason..

3. How did you discover Paradox games?
Many a day ago I stumbled over EU I and HoI I in the discount box at my local games pusher. I though "hey that looks pretty cool" and bought both of them. First I loaded EU I and within moments I had gone bankrupt and my nation (Ming lol) was on the verge of collapse. Enraged I loaded HoI.. I think I just stared at the screen before quitting. I didn't even play both games for more than ten minutes before I had uinstalled first EU and then HoI ^^. Thankfully I bought EU II to some years later and got really hooked. This led to me getting EU III (one of the best games I've ever bought) and thus my enjoyment of the paradox games started.

4. What is your favorite thing about Paradox games?
I think the coolest thing is that they can be so darn hard to learn only to make you truly appreciate the mechanics when you get the hang of 'em.

5. How did you discover the forums?
Honestly I don't really remember, although I seem to recall that I was searching for some graphical mods or something on google. Then I stumbled over the AAR forums (especially Rensslaer's Sforza! AAR). Got hooked on the many great stories and people inhabiting the AARland.

6. Do you remember your first experience here?
No, not really. Well I was lurking for a long time until I finally got myself kicked together to actually sign up..I've been in the shadows since.. late 2006?

7. What was your favorite experience on the forums?
Actually achieving to reach page three with my second AAR Seriously it has to be that there are people interested in what I write and the maps I make.. you it's got to be that. That or being Glorified!

8. Your “Paris…” AAR is great; do you have any advice for other AAR writers?
Thanks! Well I haven't been in busyness for that long but, to me, the first thing one should do, would be to be sure of the general idea of the AAR. It has helped me enormously to have a more or less solid story line to follow and then squeezing the game events in. Other than that just do the basic stuff; always remember to edit, make the text readable (wall's of text only scare readAArs away.. well I get scared away ha ha..)

9. What was your favorite part to write about so far?
Well I've really enjoyed writing it all, but in particaular I really like Chapter IIX - Twilight of an Empire the last chapter of part I. It has some good graphics and a nice mixture between the standard history book style and a more narrative "source" in the dramatic speech of Henri IV.

10. Who are your influences when it comes to AAR writing?
FYROM has inspired me greatly when it comes to map making and structure.

11. Do you have any favorite AARs?
For EU III, I really liked TreizeV's "Je maintendrai" and RossN's Aragonese "Strange Shores". On the lighter side Gruby's Norway tale is absolutely hilarious. Faeelin has written two awesome HOI II stories about Germany and Nationalist China. Phargle's Danish AAR for CK is also pure comedy gold.

12. What do you like most about AAR-writing?
Making the maps, writing the actual words and the readAARs



Once again, let us congratulate the newest AARland saint, Milites!
asd

[Lord Valentine]

Congratulations milites! A truly very well deserved honor!

~Lord Valentine~

[Enewald]

One of the best eu3 aars definetely.

So plague shall hit soon.... hehe.

What happened to Finnland?

[Milites]

Again I must say thank you for the honour!

[General_BT]

Congratulations, Milites!

And wow, the Mongol Empire looks absolutely frightening...

[asd21593]

1000 Views!

I'd like to remind everyone to vote in the ACAs. Please vote for all your favorite AARs and support the community. Don't vote for this AAR please, it just started. If you would like to vote for HOE:I in CK, vote for it in the categories of Best History-Book or Best Overall. Thanks for all the support!



asd

[robou]

I missed the first one, but I won't miss the second part. You can count on my readership. The world is taking some interesting turns; the Mongols are still mahousive though...