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But...Im a Sunni who LIKES to masquerade as a Shi'ite :(

Tough bananas, in the choice between the two muslim denominations the Caliphas of this game obviously went for the interpretation that claims they are infalliable :D
 
I was actually hapilly Sunni until I got stuck with some Shiites after the big edit.

This is annoying because Shiites have a -20% tax penalty in EU3.
 
This is annoying because Shiites have a -20% tax penalty in EU3.

But we get a morale bonus :D (taxes are only a big deal the first quarter of the game IMO) If you don't like it convert or petition for changing the religion bonuses, now that it seems we are modding EU III to.
 
But while we look to the future, we might as well take this time to remember those great among us who have fallen.



24alakbarzib.jpg

Our first Spain player Varyar.

In the very first days of CotF, when the Shi'ites were pressed from every direction by unbelievers and Apostates and it looked as if the light of the Caliphate would flicker and die. When Nubians held Damascus and Palmyra and the Abbasids took holy Jerusalem there was a light in the West. A stronghold of righteousness and faith. These were the al-Akbarzibs of Seville, who when all others had fallen to the crusaders or taken to the apostate Sunni sect held firm in their Shi'ite faith and for the longest time provided shelter to those who still remembered their loyalty to the Caliphate. In the end they were overcame and annexed by the AI al-Murabits. But their fight had not been for nothing, and soon their faith was proven right as the reinvigorated Caliphate returned in force and destroyed utterly those who had opposed it. Since then the al-Akbarzibs have served at governors and commanders across the Caliphate. The last and most renowned of this line being the Lord Akbarzid, Master of Recruits and Commander of the Sicilian Banners abu Bakr who lead the desperate counterassault on the Imperial heartland during the Emperors crusade. Giving his life in the successful effort to draw away the crusader forces from the planned assault on his beloved al-Andalus. Their coat of arms is now permanently added to the Banner of Palermo.

24dehauteville.jpg

Our south Italy player Edzako

The Normand lords of Naples burned brightly in the early days of CotF, taking Palermo from me and generally causing a scare for Caliphate strategists who worried they would land in AI Tunis and cut me of from Africa, and the pre-Imperial Toulousians under Fasquardon who had their own ambitions for north Italy. Ed left us however, allowing me and Fasq to split it between us. Since then the land has seen both Greeks and Persians. It is currently held by the Imperial Toulousians under Jakalo, who was not as big a fan of peaceful cohabitation as Fasq and booted everybody else out of Italy. The de Hautevilles meanwhile have managed to hold on surprisingly much of their old land for an AI dynasty much warred over. Time will tell if they manage to survive until the end.



24tilius.jpg

Alas, Poland, first under Orago, then Ike

The Tiliuses have had a hard game, mostly due to players being to timid or having lacking understanding of game mechanics and diplomacy. Having gotten accidentally annexed by Denmark due to a peace misclick and subsequently released they collapsed two or three times from claim-revoking bb, spent the game in virtually permanent realm duress and had their entire royal family killed by the French after they got accidentally drawn into the assassins war over Crete between me and Kom. Their last nail in the coffin was then the scheming Byzantines lured them to join the Great Russian War, ignoring the fact that vR had reconstructed Poland several times the Poles got greedy at the sight of the collapsing giant and fearing others would take all the spoils they betrayed their old friend and attacked.
Unfortunately for them the other powers of the game did not at all like the prospect of Russia being cut in twain by a new 'Cossack state' and threatened war. The Byzantines, much worried by the Croats and Saracens to their rear, realized they might be risking gaining nothing for all their labors and devised a concession to the Rus that saw to it the greek would keep their spoils. First they sold out the Cossacks, whom they had promised freedom from the Russian yoke, then they sold their allies in the great pan-european Non-agression treaty. Why anybody expected anything less of the untrustworthy Komnenids is beyond us.

King of Men said:
IV. Poland is specifically excluded from all protection of this treaty, and is to be held an outlaw nation, beyond the pale of civilised law, to be dealt with as wolves are.

Thus was the Tilius' fate sealed. Having made no friends with diplomacy, and having lost all credibility in biting the hand that had fed them no Nation raised their voice as Rus and Croat armies stormed into Poland. The mad Tilius Tyrant, holding the entire kingdom as his personal demesne, burned all the land and sank all the gold and silver of the realm in the sea before throwing himself on his own sword. The land is now held by the Croat High Cheiftain, but it will be long before it recovers. As for the remaining Tillius' they are being hunted down by vengeful Russians as we speak.



24ofdongola.jpg

Speaking of hunting down..

Those of you who have been with us since the beginning will remember the House of Dongola, my first arch-nemesis. Back when we were all Duchies and our power was little I had expected after the collapse of Egypt to be able to pick the scraps up easily. It was not to be, as our custom mod to make Muslims playable caused the petty emirates started pledge to Nubia , causing them to start converting left and right! It was then, in session 2 as Damascus pledged to the infidels right under my nose and somehow breaking my siege and ending the war that the Calipha Muhammad al-Awwal, first of the younger Fatimid line, swore a holy oath to end the entire House of Dongola. It took me many sessions an wars to bring them down, for their empire soon stretched from Damascus to Granada! But in the end they too fell before the Emerald Banners, and my agents were sent across the land to find the bastards and relieve them of their titles and breath. I spent more gold, prestige, piety and BB than can really be defended. But in 1215 my Hassassins caught up with the last of them, and having waited to see no children were born anywhere I am now confident in my success. Dongola delenda est!




Indeed by this time most AI dynasties have been destroyed, with most of the map taken up by the descendants of the two starting characters we each got (except the Imperial Toulouse, who had lots of character when Fasq jumped in). The Fatimids and Toulousians sport dynasties large enough to form their own regiments, while the Dhu'l-Nuns of al-Andalus are still worried of their numerical vulnerability to assassins. The mightiest AI dynasties sport 4-5 provinces and a few dozen members, well except for one...



24ynglings.jpg

Dovremen!

Ynglings! Run to, no, Run away from the hills!

Theres hundreds of them! And they hold all of Norway! And Cornwall! And Holstein! Just the other session they rose against the Knautschling Danes! Whom they outnumber in dynasty members! Flee, flee for your lives! :wacko::eek:
 
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Bah, the Ynglings in this game are a weak and degenerate breed. Of 527 members only 4 are Kinslayers and only 2 (!) excommunicated? Pathetic.
 
Bah, the Ynglings in this game are a weak and degenerate breed. Of 527 members only 4 are Kinslayers and only 2 (!) excommunicated? Pathetic.

I am sure you can fix that when you run out of Komnenids to play.
 
why not show the similar stats of the current dynasties?

....and no, I have no clue of how those are made and where, and I dont know how to do it myself:eek:o
 
why not show the similar stats of the current dynasties?

Certainly!

For the peanuts; numbers and titles are important in this MP Megacampaign as the titles and prestige/piety of our dynasties are calculated into Dynastic Glory scores that we can use to buy National Ideas when we convert to EUIII. The DG is balanced however by the sliders, as handing out duketitles left and right will make you wildly decentralized.

Let us start with what is the (mathematically proven) most glorious realm upon Allahs Green Earth!


24fati.jpg

+18 dukes, 32 counts
fielding ~410.000 men



Indeed the Fatimid Caliphate! Home to scholars, scientists, alchemists and learned men of every creed. (except Greeks, who are, of course, violently persecuted) I have since the first day actively worked to expand my dynasty both in land and number, and I do decree it a success. Note especially the Saints, twice as many as anybody else! :D I expect this number to continue to grow nicely, tho the Italians and Russians are hot on my tail!

24pers.jpg

+12 dukes, 12 counts
fielding~320.000 men



Speaking of people breathing down my neck, the vile denizens of the Apostate Caliphate in Baghdad have started expanding their reach, not many sessions ago their demesne was no where near as troublingly big. Hatching evil plots and experimenting with black magiks it is high time the True Light was shone yet again on these lands draped in the devils shadow!


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+5 dukes, 16 counts
fielding ~220.000 men



Byzantion! My archnemesis and Persia's even more evil conjoined twin. Their numbers clearly show a failure in Fatimid extermination policy, something that must be dealt with! Luckily we have the world renowned beauty of the Fatimid women to aid us, having yet again managed to seduce a weakminded infidel Emperor we now have intelligence of the Komnenid plots from inside the very Kosmodion Palace! Still we must watch out for KoM's sneakyness, lest he go of and inherit Morocco or something...


24ger.jpg

2 dukes, 22 counts
fielding ~370.000 men


Starting with a lot more characters than the rest of us the Western Romans have started lagging behind in the dynastic game. Having taken most all the titles for himself Jakalo would convert more centralized than the rest of us. With such a central map position however there is always a risk of getting disassembled in a realm collapse.


24rus.jpg

+21 dukes, 21 counts
fielding ~600.000 men



With a massive land and a large dynasty the Rus are matched only by the Fatimids in dynastic titles. We expect them to grow increasingly large in number unless somebody tries to take them down.


24fin.jpg

1 duke, 8 counts
fielding a fearsome ~40.000 men


Ah, the Dôns, our games very favorite assassins for hire they have had impact on the game that belies their size. Since they were driven from England by the Danes they have settled down in Finland, plotting, waiting...

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+3 dukes, 6 counts
fielding 260.000 men


The Danes! Crusader Kings of the North, who took the British isles against the armies and flaccid objections of several players, who singlehandedly burned all of Germany for principle, who raided Egypt and forced the creation of the kingdom of Jerusalem. There are not many mothers who do not scare their children with stories of dragonheaded longships appearing out of the mist. And even today, when heresy runs rife through the Christian world they stand firm in their convictions. Controlling the Papacy with an iron fist they simply had the old Dane-Pope replaced when the old was assassinated in the Hassassin gunpowder-plot. Their dynasty however is not too impressive, and with a sick child king we don't expect to see much growth for a while.

24bav.jpg

+5 dukes, 14 counts
fielding ~250.000 men


24fra.jpg

5 dukes, 10 counts
fielding ~300.000 men


France and Bavaria. Not much to say there appart from the fact that they have been silent for quite a while. Bavaria yoinking Bohemia and Prussia in the Polish collapse and France inheriting some stuff towards the Med coast. I am not up to date with their politics, but from my understanding not everybody is happy about the current borders.

24croa.jpg

2 dukes, 11 counts
fielding ~150.000 grannies


Croatia, the little bufferstate that could! Its recent acquisition of most of Poland propels it into relevance, should it manage to take Constantinople for a third (!) time it would have become a medium power! Tho more or less attached to Russia it is possible it will start a more independent foreign policy vis-á-vis the Europeans, becoming something in between the Austro-Hungary and Poland-Lithuania of our game.


24andalus.jpg

+2 counts
fielding 120.000 men


Al-Andalus, a late comer to our game, is still struggling dynastically. Having fought no wars of its own al-Andalus is, much like the Croatia-Russia relation, mainly a Fatimid creation. Having pledged to the Caliphate just before leaving the game for 1,5 month the Fatimids expanded around the initial duchy, staring down Romans with questionable intentions, raising al-Andalus it to a Kingdom and handing over all land in Spain and lastly expanding it all the way up to Barcelona on Imperial expense in the great Fiat. Al-Andalus is still considered a autonomous part of the Caliphate, analogous to the British Comonwealth had England been the Papal State. We expect them to prosper as numbers beget larger numbers.
 
A Child of A Dôn

”You must be lost.” Dôn said but the boy did not answer. He looked upon her with faked confidence and tried to look like he knew exactly what he was doing there in the other side. Dôn could see trough him like he would have stood there naked.

“No.” He just replied with anger. He had clearly destined himself to keep his pride beyond his own best interest and choose not to beg help from Dôn. For a brief moment Dôn almost wanted to allow him keep his pride and leave him alone in the other-world while she would have just continued with her errant.
Almost, but the fair side was not a gentle place for a mortal child to wander. Knowing their way or not…usually the later though. Even for the children of Dôn it was not safe. And Dôn could clearly see herself from the boy, whose northern austere looks couldn’t completely hide that little elfish twinkle that still lid in his eyes.

“You must be a Dôn then.” Dôn said herself. The boy didn’t answer, but his mope wielded little less of anger.

“It wouldn’t be possible for a mortal child to come here, unless he was one of the Dôn’s off course…”

Dôn threw a little bait in the air and the boy raised his glance and demanded from her: “How so?”

How so indeed. It shouldn’t have been possible for a child of any family to break the barriers of the worlds…not unless the child was trained by the druids or shamans who could do it, and then only if they knew the right passage-ways and hidden doors. But Dôn doubted that Son of King Jurva of Vanaja would be a druids apprentice…

“Well…” Dôn continued and the boys demanding look begun to take form of plea with his eyes opened wide in front of Dôn. She sensed power in them…hidden things…that look was a look of a prince, and not just a sight of nobility but a glance of someone who was destined to rule and lead. It was the look of Gwynnedd, and despite this boy was tall and white-haired, Dôn could almost see her first-born again, couth sneaking in the fairside and grimly opposing her parental inquisition.

Dôn could barely keep her sudden rush of emotions hidden. There was indeed something in this lad…
“Becouse its told that the foremother of the Dôns were a great Queen of fairies in the west beyond the sea…”
“In Sweden?”
“No, far, far far beyond that, in the green lands of Wales and Ireland.”
“No she wasn’t! We are…”

“Ah, so you are a child of Dôn!” Dôn caught him before he could continue disregarding his roots. It has been long since Dôn had actually had any sort of relationship to her descants, she should correct that in the near future…

“I’m Valta, son of King Jurva!” the boy claimed openly, and foolishly…if he would have been a stranger to Dôn, he would now be under her complete power… Well he was…already, but someone needs to teach these modern Christian kids how the old world and the other side had rules…rules…

But Dôn didn’t thoughts didn’t dwell much on there…
Valta…regal that was powerful name. So powerful that it was not a coincidence that a boy with such name would stray into otherside… A shiver run down Dôn’s spine, but the feeling was not all of horror. There was hope in it as well… For long she had not loved anyone, but some things in this boy raised her motherly feelings back into surface…and she had thought that Gwynnedds death had buried them deeply. But was it any wonder? While the world was filled with the fierce roar of warriors, there was little room for words of tenderness and affection.

“So a king’s son.”
“Yeas”
“Well then it would be great deal of harm that such would be trapped here forever…”
“Forever?”
“Forever…and not just being unable to find his way back to mortal lands, but to be held captive by the Queen of the fairies for her own amusement…”
“I’m not afraid of any fairies!”
“Ah, so many times….so many proud and gallant ones have said so… but tell me young Valta, how many tales of such men have you heard of?”
“what men?”
“Men that have returned from the underworld?”
“Underworld?”
“Yes. You didn’t know?”
“mmm….underworld like the land of the death?”

And now there was a fear in his voice, that he had toned almost to a whisper…just so that Dôn could hear it, but the possible armies of the death wouldn’t. Dôn enjoyed. She could make the situation feel even more frightening to him, as the wind and weather of the Fairside were as much of her vassals than any prince or knight.

“So tell me, a tale of mortal man that has returned from the other side unharmed?” Now Dôn whispered it herself, so that the boy could barely hear her.
But then, as her act would have gone too far, the boy bloomed out into a grin and stood firmly again:
“I know a one!”
“Ah, the stories of your kin, of Vainamoinen and Gollevainen!”
“NO…or yes, but I don’t mean those. It’s another…it’s something that my father told me…About a bard that had three choices...no, three roads he could choose, to get back to the mortal lands when the Fairy queen…”
And then he looked Dôn deeply, first with examination, then with awe and almost with a fear…

“And which roads were them?”
“mmm….first one was narrow and full of thorns and obstacles, then there was the board and wide one and the last one was green and small, like a deer’s path through the woods. “
“I see…and which one he choose?”
“Mmmm….I…he…I can’t remember.” The boy answered with his heart falling. He began to sob gently.
“I can’t remember…”
“Well, tell me then son of a King, which one would you choose?”
And the boy looked Dôn, stared her grin and then slowly turned his head to the ferny brie and saw the three roads opened In front of him.
He didn’t hesitate in choosing the right one and spurring back trough the velvet green foliage back home…
 
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Treaty of Gotland

The King of Denmark and the Tsar of all the Russias shall sign this treaty of friendship and non-agression to ensure the prosperity and well-being of their respective realms.

I. No sovereign of either party shall attack any sovereign of the other party, nor their vassals, nor their allies; and shall make swift peace on behalf of any vassal that attacks a sovereign, or vassal, or ally of the other party, requiring no reparations or tribute.

II. No sovereign of either party shall send, or have a third party send, assassins against the realm or dynasty of the other sovereign or his allies.

III. No sovereign of either party shall accept a liege oath for any land now owned by a sovereign of the other party, or his allies, whether by rebellion, diplomacy, or inheritance; but shall return any such lands without prejudice to their current owner.

IV. This treaty and compact shall last until the first of January, 1281.



Signed for All the Russias

Signed by Maria de Velate, Chancellor of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Despite the misleading name of the treaty this paper was obviously not signed on the island of Gotland since the kind Tsar does certainly know better than to insult his partner in a treaty of friendship.

On another note:
Due to an unexpected* deadline popping up in my studies the time commited to this campaign will be cut to a minimum. This means that the Knautschling AARs are on hold until May 1st 2011. Apologies to all of my readers (should they exist) for not giving the Knautschling tale a decent cliffhanger.

*totally expected
 
Well, these player-dynasty statistics make the Ynglings look a bit better; their per-capita rate of Kinslayers is second only to that of the Rurikoviches. Indeed their Kinslayers outnumber those of dynasties twice and three times as numerous. Pretty good considering they are AI!
 
Tilius: New Hope
star-wars-a-new-hope-500x312.jpg
The Tilius dynasty derived from the Marcus Tulius Cicero, senator of the Roman Republic had mostly gone underground after the loss of Polaria to the invading hordes of Russia and Croatia. Many members of the Royal bloodline had been sent away to foreign lands where they would remain safe out of the hands of the Russians. Swietopelk Tilius against the common belief of suicide had been carried to safety in the now Bavarian controlled county of Liberec, where Swietopelk's second son Wincenty served as the Chancellor of the county.
Swietopelk and those who had accompanied him were granted sanctuary inside the castle of Liberec, a castle build by the Tilius dynasty.
Wincenty.jpg



Even though Swietopelk was safe he had been mortally wounded in the last fight against the Croatians in Poland. He died in the autumn of 1246 in Liberec to his wounds that never healed. But even with his last breaths he vowed that one day the Tilius dynasty would rise again and take back what was their by the divine right given them by God and punish those that had done wrong to them.
Swieto.jpg


While Wincenty continued to serve in Liberec, the eldest son Sieciech travelled to Feher to the meet with his Hungarian cousins.
Sieciech.jpg


Feher was ruled and controlled by the Hungarian branch of the Tilius dynasty with it's current head being Almos Tilius the count of Feher and his brother Guyla Tilius count of Szekelyföld.
Almos.jpg


The Hungarian branch of the dynasty had not been found due to all the attention had been turned to Polarian Empire and the Hungarians had been able to strengthen their power base in the South. Both of the brothers were very loyal towards the Croatians and Radomirs which might have been the reason why they haven't been replaced.
On the other hand Almos long controlled Feher as an independent nation until his brother invited him to join the Croatian Kingdom, to show that the Tilius dynasty can be used as an ally. The Brothers even helped the Croatians to fought of the civil war they experienced.
Guyula.jpg


But Almos and Guyla weren't the only members of the Tilius dynasty that had done well outside Polaria. In the Bishopric of Trencin Imram Tilius an Polish Orthodox scholar and theologian was next in line to become the next bishop.
Imam.jpg


The brother of Swietopelk, Jakub Tilius had inherited the Bishopric of Stettin and now ruled there as an benevolent ruler.
Jabuk.jpg


In Opava Dytryk Tilius one of the remaining Crusader Polarians ruled as an count. He had still remained Catholic and was actually one of the surviving Polish Catholics that hadn't been hunted down by the Russians.
Dytryk.jpg


He was also the next canditate for becoming the Duke of Luxembourgh, Franconia, Crete, Meissen and Moravia. As well as would he inherit the Counties of Baden, Ansbach and Hradec Kravole when the de Medici Duke would die.
heir.jpg


Even though many thought that the Tilius dynasty was dead they were indeed far stronger than expected and they were protected by Templars and other secret institutions and they would take their revenge.
deathstarCGI_a_new_hope.jpg