Bastions: Tales of the Anglo-Prussians

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Sorry I've not been commenting recently- thank you for the map it's a work of art. Also these chapters are really good it really epitomizes the brutality of the "crusade" and the horror of the Long War.

Keep it up- i'm addicted

I'm glad you've liked it thus far. Still working on the next update but I have a couple other things going on. First is work, but also a secret project I have been working on for a bit, as well as a trip to Chicago this weekend. I am hoping to update within a week but certainly not tonight or this weekend (sorry).

[Aliasing]

So I feel that the world has a good "natural" flavor to it, which is what I was/am aiming for. I actually have a massive photoshop image that has multiple layers so I can turn numbers/flags/languages/religions on and off at will as well as bring up minorities, capitals, races, separatist movements and international organizations. Want to know who is in IFAF (this timeline's FIFA)? I have a map for that. Want to know which nations are currently suspended from the African Union or are currently petitioning to join the European Union? I have maps for that. There is also a four-page excel sheet that compliments it, but that is mine. There are also several sets of maps that track political changes back three hundred years... or so... it gets a little fuzzy in the middle.

Would we be able to see.....these maps? Like on a hosting thing, don't have to of course. But It would be sweet

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Argh... that was a long week...

Would we be able to see.....these maps? Like on a hosting thing, don't have to of course. But It would be sweet

Dammit... I knew I forgot something, an update! Well... I have most of one so for compensation here is:

Religions of the World (by province majority), 2012

As a general scheme this is the break-down.

Christianity is in brown and orange colors. In Central Europe is Prussian Orthodoxy, in Russia it is Mordvin Orthodoxy. Roman Orthodoxy rounds out the "Orthodox" churches. Not pictured is Prussian and Roman Unionism, though Anglican Unionism is based in the UK and her former colonies. Norse Rites is a majority in a few provs, most notably Iceland. In Arabia is Eddessan Catholicism and in Ethiopia is Oriental Orthodoxy.

Judaism is yellow in that little triangle stuck in the former lands of Khazaria. Their survival for the last thousand years has relied mostly on the fact that before the Mordvin conquest of the region no one tribe controlled the region long enough to implement a tactic for converting the Jews. And after the Mordvin conquest the Mords were uninterested in converting them. Instead special taxes were levied on the Jews, though these could often be waived for traders and bankers. Mordvia was able to eventually secure economic independence through the trade network built between Jews of Khazaria and Jews in the rest of Europe. For this they were eventually rewarded with autonomy and special cultural protection.

Islam is green. The minty-green of Europe (and most everywhere else) is Frandism. Shia Islam is in the neon green centered mostly on Italy and Sudan. Basic Green is Sunni Islam (usually referred to as "African", "Egyptian" or "Maghreb" Islam). The dark green in the steppe is Turkic Islam. And the olive color is Ibadi Islam. Not show are Georgian Islam, Indian Islam and East Asian Islam, all of which are minorities.

In blue is Hinduism, which is very much alive and well. Different brands exist in each region and many regions are host to multiple "breeds" of Hinduism. Hinduism's expansion was swift compared to the expansion of say Christianity in Mordvia but is not a total thing. Many countries, especially in the Near East are divided between local forms of Islam and Hinduism. However, Muslims make up no more than 25% of these countries (lower in places closer to India, higher in those farther away).

Purple is the other Eastern Religions. Light Pink is the Theravada form of Buddhism. It is based mostly in Siam and Borneo. Mahayana Buddhism is the signature of Tibet and inland China as well as Manchuria. In fact, the religion plays a critical role in keeping China from being a real super-power. Here it has to contend with several different faiths while the state religion (based on the teachings of Confucius) leaves little room for government tolerance. China's state form of Taoism is shown in purple. Lastly is Shinbutsu, which is Japan's syncretic blend of Shintoism and Buddhism.

White shows provinces with large populations of Atheists, Agnostics and other non-religious people. These populations exist in all countries to varying degrees of "openness" and their presence ranges from openly accepted in countries the once banned the practice of religion (Prussia and Silesia for example), to tolerance, to hostility, to open hostility. The so-called Prussian Mega-City (made up of Danzig, Mariangrad, Memelgrad, Sambigrad and Vilnish) probably contains as many of these people as the rest of Europe and North America combined.

Lastly grey shows where local or tribal religions still exist as a majority. These vary greatly even across tiny distances. But include traditional forms of Vodun (or Voodoo to Westerners), Old Mordvin beliefs, Native American teachings, and many others. The darker grey is where Intilism, the religion of the Inca, is practiced. This is the state religion of the different Incan States who have worked hard over the centuries to prevent serious leakage from outside religions - especially Frandism. It seemed, in the 1600's and 1700's that within a century the Inca would convert en masse to Frandism. But in 1753 the Inca expelled all missionaries and put many converts to work in labor camps.

[flyguy117]

My God, Hindus everywhere! Did the arabs covert en masse?

[Mr. Capiatlist]

My God, Hindus everywhere! Did the arabs covert en masse?

700 years of Mongol/Timurid/Persian domination will do that.

[Killerflood]

I see that some of Denmark is still Prussian Orthodox. Why weren't they converted when you lost it?

Also, Shia in Italy and Southern (in our time line) USA?

[Mr. Capiatlist]

I see that some of Denmark is still Prussian Orthodox. Why weren't they converted when you lost it?

Also, Shia in Italy and Southern (in our time line) USA?

Denmark held out, surprisingly. Sweden was a bit more lax with Denmark than Germany.

In OTL USA it is Sunni. Italy had a lot of Shia Muslims where the Egyptians invaded during the Infinite War.

[Aliasing]

After that map, I think I'm in love with you Capiatlist

[Orlov Kruskayev]

Oh God. I've done reading it all just now. I mean, only Bastions, didn't made to Homelands, I'll just act as it was a prequel. And get to it later.

Dear Mr. C, this is f***g awesome. Really, it is amazing how you are building it all, and making it all work. Everything about your world seems to make sense (apart from the Hindu dominance thing but it starts to unveil I believe. Timur the poet conqueror. hehe). Only by conceiving Frandism you just solved the ***amn (hehe) puzzle as easy as pushing a f*ng button. It just seems it was there on my face and I couldn't see it.

Well, I'll be refreshing this page often from now on, you can bet.



But then, I'll have to complain. QQ as I'd call it.
I'll just cry out as "YUO NOT CARE ABOUT MY COUNTRY/CULTURE" as it be standard I guess. I mean, I was expecting some explanation over it, but around page 44 I just went "aw god he just forgot about me" and my heart was utterly shattered. D:


I mean, Portugal is there, but it doesn't seem to have anything in common with our Portugal. From what I remember, Swabians populated Galicia and northern Portugal as the Roman Empire Crumbled and made it a different language and barely different culture from that of Visigothic Castille, Leon and Aragon, who would later turn out to unite under the flag of Spain. Then, if Galícia togeter with Northern Portugal and Leon, under Leon, are the only surviving Iberian Kingdoms as we conceive them, apart from Navarre, wouldn't Proto Portuguese, known as Galego-Portuguese, be the ruling language at the current time in the narrative(late 1300)? And, therefore, leading them to one very specific, heavily arabized version of Galego-Portuguese to be their language instead of "Spanish" as you label them? Eventhough I know Leon did rule the Galicians, they do retain their language to this day, that is actually pretty close to Portuguese even after all of these years of dominance. And Portuguese as we know and I speak does have quite an influence from Arabic, though not as much as Spanish.

Yes. My "rant" (more like a whim) is all about language and very specific details about cultural splitting resulting from the non existant Reconquista. Go ahead, crush my dreams and sweep the remains of my heart from the floor at will. Also, as I didn't read Homelands I might aswell just be missing information that was already given. D:
As a side note, **amn I just f*ng LOVE to see how próshjian/próshjisky (Did I get it right?) f*ng works and HOW IT IS SIMPLY F*NG AMAZING. Good job there, I really mean it.


By the way, I'd be in that neatly placed Kingdom of Blumenau. Interesting that you picked Blumenau as capital(or so I believe), as it is of Germanic Origin, unlike most of other options you'd have to chose from, for example São Paulo or Curitiba. Well, what language does my counterpart speak?

Then again, awesome writing style, f**ng amazing work overall. Keep it coming. Take your time, plan your world, organize your cultures, create flags, create languages as you wish but JUST KEEP IT COMING.

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Thanks for the dedication, I know it can be hard to catch up on these longer AARS.

As for the language issue, those notes you are talking about might be (very) old... in my current notes Leon is labeled as speaking "Leonese" which is supposed to be a more Arabic-infused Galacian like you explained. I think you saw the post I made of not excel sheet, which I think I posted more than a year ago. Part of it is because what a particular word means in this timeline is not necessarily what it means in ours. I try to come up with new words but I can only do so much. I might have put "Spanish" but already meant what you describe, just as a place holder as I decided what to really call it. Sort of like how I have flags that I don't plan on really releasing, but they are there in the meantime.


Also, watch the swearing. This is a family-friendly board.

[Killerflood]

Are you being barraged by exams too or are you just taking a break?

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Are you being barraged by exams too or are you just taking a break?

I have actually graduated and currently work as a Project Engineer in the automotive industry. Life in general is sort of busy.

[Killerflood]

Nice, at least you were able to find one.

But otherwise, don't mind me. I was just curious.

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Nice, at least you were able to find one.

But otherwise, don't mind me. I was just curious.

I understand though, I've been antsy to write for a while, but things are busy and it has been driving me crazy.

[Orlov Kruskayev]

I understand though, I've been antsy to write for a while, but things are busy and it has been driving me crazy.

Just keep your focus regardless of the time between updates and we can forgive you for having a life. For a brief moment.

[Aliasing]

Capiatlist, I have a question about the world again. While we wait for your fantastic updates (kissing ass, I know)

What is the status of the sensitive topics of, "Gay Marriage", and "Abortion"?

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Capiatlist, I have a question about the world again. While we wait for your fantastic updates (kissing ass, I know)

What is the status of the sensitive topics of, "Gay Marriage", and "Abortion"?

Country dependent. More conservative countries (e.g. Mordvia) these things are taboo at best and illegal at worst. Like in our own time line, homosexuality is illegal and punishable by death in many countries (especially in Africa and Asia). Most "western" countries have legal abortion and allow some form of civil union with varying degrees of equality with respect to straight marriage. In Prussia and Silesia (the two only majority atheist countries) both are fully legal. However; the topic can be divisive in some countries like Grand New Iberia where there is a large fundamentalist minority (especially among conservative Sunnis in the south) as well as a more socially liberal majority.

Frandism is inherently more open given its history as a syncretic religion. But it still has many of the same Christian and Islamic thoughts in the scriptures.

[Cpt_everos]

It will be interesting to see if a Reformation occurs, where and with who. Will there be a "Martin Luther" character who shakes things up with the Muslims?

[Mr. Capiatlist]

It will be interesting to see if a Reformation occurs, where and with who. Will there be a "Martin Luther" character who shakes things up with the Muslims?

It is hard to say (well... I know the answer), because Frandism is syncretic. Its very nature means that practices vary greatly from region to region so it is hard to have a single "reformation" over the whole group of people.

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Bastions
Chapter Forty Seven: Gathering an Army
Part 3

Prelude:
Timur. A name often forgotten in our modern day, it was once a name that caused all of Asia and the Near East to shake in fear. Today Timur is one of the most common names in the entire world, beating even Muhammad and its derivatives. Persians, Turks, Steppe Folk, even Europeans to a lesser extent have adopted some form of the name. The name once conjured strength for it means "iron" in the language of the Steppe Folk. A young boy, driven to rule by the death of his father at the hands of a Yuan tax collector, soon united the Kwihzihri tribes and went about uniting all the Steppe-Turks under his banner of black and red. His goal was the world his eyes set dead focused on the West. It was his belief that if he were able to conquer the weak Persian states he would soon be strong enough to conquer India and then, finally, China. It was his dream to see the Chinese pay for their arrogance on the Steppe. His first hurdle was to overcome the petty differences that had kept the Turks from uniting in the past. Timur used everything in his arsenal: alliances, marriages, and when necessary: force. If the Turks would not respond to flattery or bribes or marriages of convenience they would bow down to brute force. It was something that he wanted to avoid so he could have as many soldiers as possible. In 1383 The Kwihzihri and Uzbeki tribes united under Timur's flag. Now, though, the stubborn Sunni Turkmen had refused to cooperate with the Hindu Kwihzihri and Uzbeki tribes. All the while the Persians enjoyed what little peace they had left. They thought that the Turks would just exhaust themselves with their infighting and never gave the growing threat to their north a second glance.

October 10th, 1381

Father Werna sat quietly at prayer in the main chapel of the monastery. In his hands he clutched the cross that he often wore around his neck. In recent days it had begun to feel heavier and heavier. Years of guilt. Years of lying. Years of denying who he really was. No one was fooled by the charade. No one but the children; the boys. Werna looked down as sorrow rushed over him again. What was he exposing them to? Their parents hoped their sons would become important members of the clergy, leaders of the faithful. It was not his duty to turn them away from that path or worse, toward a path to heresy or heathenism. He looked down at his cross and then up at the giant stained-glass window. Light poured in from above and flooded the room with an unearthly glow. From behind him he could hear footsteps.

"Father Edwin?"

"Yes my child?" called the friendly voice. Edwin sat beside Werna and his face brought a great deal of relief to the young man. "I thought I'd find you here."

"I..." Edwin held up a hand to stop Werna.

"Werna, I know where you have been going and I know why. I was here when your father dragged you in kicking and screaming. No son of his would be a poet or an artist. The old soldier and older farmer refused to see it, refused to let you be who you wanted to be and he banished you. Disowned you. Left you to your own devices and instead of taking up arms you gave in. You let him win."

"I did not think it wise to resist the men of God," Werna said.

Edwin laughed. "Men of God? Of which God? Werna, it takes more than just priests in this world. If God had meant for people to all be priests things would be much easier, don't you think? I've seen your talent for both words and pictures. God wants you to use these gifts, not waste them, no matter what your father says."

"But I have failed my tests: I could not see the light in my darkest days and I have given into my old temptations."

"What do you mean, Werna?" Edwin asked, genuinely lost.

"You don't really know what happened that night then, when I was dragged here. It is true that my father wanted nothing to do with a poet and an artist under his roof. I was not strong enough to till a field or brave enough to hold a shield. But he would put me to work with my sisters: cleaning and washing. The problem is that he had seen me with my muse."

Edwin's face morphed from concern back to its friendly demeanor. He nodded quickly and once again held his hand up, "Ah yes. I've seen her too. She watches you from the woods. She's a Lith, but I assume you knew that. I've seen her with their caravan. Her tribe travels along the Baltic selling goods and telling fortunes to those with coin. Not exactly the pagan princess you've been dreaming of all these years?"

"No, I knew what she was... who she was. But when I saw her at the standing stones, or out in a forest glade, or even just by my side the world just seemed to light up. She always looked so happy and carefree. One with everything and everyone around her. I wanted that happiness and carefree life."

Edwin patted Werna on the back, "No, it sounds like you wanted the princess."

"She has a strange connection to the world beyond. I know it," Werna continued. "When she is among the standing stones or even just a beam of sun coming through the leaves of trees everything seems right. She says she can hear the grasses and the animals around her and I believe her. I cannot explain for the life of me why I would."

"Werna, they will return soon enough. Vilnius is an important place for them. When they leave this place next, I believe you should be with them."

"But... but my duties..."

"What duties, Werna? No offense but anyone can copy books or clean dishes."

"What of the boys?"

Edwin put his hand back on Werna's shoulder. "They will miss you, but they will grow up regardless. Boys are resilient that way. You should finish reading to them, so they can at least think of you whenever they read stories to their children. That is God's way of giving us a sort of immortality here on Earth, beyond the walls of heaven and hell. We live on in one way or another. Our blood in our children and in the minds of those we touched. They will read to their children and their children to their children. So on, through time forever."

Werna liked the thought, starting a trend that could potentially touch the lives of so many down the line. All he could do was nod and head back to his small little room. There, in a shelf of his desk, was the book. He pulled it out and looked at the cover, which he never had up to this point. It was a reproduction of the stained glass of the great tomb of the Prussian Kings. Specifically it was of the window that showed the return of Ælle's body to Prussia, being received by King Gunvald the First. There was a light knocking at the door. "Father Werna, are you going to read to us again?" asked Kristjan at the head of the three man delegation.

"Yup. you should get in and get comfy, we have a lot to cover." The boy scrambled in over one another and once situated looked up tentatively at Werna. "So, when we left off Ælle had convinced the Vasques to fight for him and was marching on the city of Pamplona. But his deceitful Danish commander was poised to betray him to the Muslims in order to gain a place as leader of the Catholics left in Spain."

***

November 10th, 1136

Pamplona burned brightly, like the sun had come crashing down onto the doomed people within. Olaf saw Ælle sitting there, enraptured by the scene. In the otherwise dark night, the mountains were lit up from below making them appear tall and ghostly. The Danish man walked over and forced a blanket onto the Saxon. "It will get cold soon."

"We are being watched, Olaf." The Saxon slowly turned his face upward, toward his comrade, the fires only lit one hemisphere and as it rotated it gave him a very demonic appearance. Olaf was more concerned by the very frightful non sequitur. "So I have no plan on sleeping anyway." The Danish man, however, was too busy scanning the mountains to respond right away. Instead he eventually turned his whole body away from Ælle as to scan the surroundings without twisting his neck.

"Do you see anything?" Olaf asked their companions in French, several men of a Vasque village that had taken them in. They nodded and pointed to a scout from another village nearby. "How could you see him so far away?"

"I've been watching him since he was not in the glare. People are easier to find if you already know where to look." Ælle turned to the Vasques and in French requested, "How long will it take all the villages to form up?"

"A week at the fastest... a month at the slowest," answered the only one who could speak French fluently.

"Sounds good, I assume the Arabs will be gone before within the month. We'll need to train before we can take the city."

"Vasques have been training for this day since we lost the city to the southerners. What was once ours shall be ours again, we believe that. If we didn't, there wouldn't have been much point to fleeing to the hills and mountains."

"What happens once we take the city?" Olaf asked.

"We march on the next city, and the next. And Vasques will join us, from all around. They will flock to our banner and we will be free," the Vasque answered. Olaf smiled; the answer - so simple and honest - spoke volumes to him. After a few moments of silence everyone got up and began the hike back to the village, nestled in the mountains overlooking the gigantic pyre.

There people followed the two outsiders, as they often had since their arrival, as they chatted idly with one another. The children, especially, were amused by Olaf's blonde hair and Ælle's tall frame. Through those who spoke French, the tribe asked questions of the newcomers. "Prussia is a land that is mostly flat, with low rolling hills and thick forests. She sits beside the Baltic, cold and dreary. Not at all like the Bay of Biscay," Ælle explaned.

"If there are no mountains, how do you defend your villages?"

"We make mountains out of stone and mortar. We call them 'burghs' or 'grads' depending on whether you are Saxon or Prussian."

"What do you mean?"

"Prussia is a lot like Iberia, there are two peoples there: Saxons like me and Prussians. Prussians are farmers and soldiers while Saxons are nobles and knights."

"Were you a noble or a knight, good Sir Ælle?"

Olaf looked over at Ælle wearily, fearing that Ælle would remember the dark truth and speak in a way to sadden the children. But Ælle just smiled, "I am a knight. I am to Iberia with the Crusaders to find honor... but I found only evil men. The only good man I found was Olaf, so we left together in search of a more noble cause."

"Why were you not a noble, then?"

"I was a noble, but now I am a knight. It is a choice that I made willingly," Ælle said. Olaf still watched him, seeing a changed man before him. "I love my home, but I wanted to see more of the world so I headed first to Denmark and from there to France and from France to Pamplona, then here."

The village elder nodded, "We can use a knight in our battle... that is for sure. But I have lived in the palaces of Kings and Emirs and I think I have a greater use for you. Ælle of Prussia, will you be the face of the Vasques to the untrusting and dynastical lords of Europe? If we take Pamplona, would you be our King?"

Ælle sat there stunned, Olaf eventually prodded his partner suggesting that he take up the offer. "I don't believe you are going to get an offer like this again. Take them up on it and prove your worth to not only your father but all of Europe. Think: the House of Ælle, King of Pamplona."

Ælle did think of such things, and he imagined his wife as Queen and his son as Prince and briefly everything seemed like it was perfect. But then he knew that between him and this dream were the walls of Pamplona and then men defending them. "What banner would I rule under?"

The Vasques looked at each other, confused. "We have only our village banners..."

"We will need a single banner. As a child I read of a King of the Vasques, known as Sancho the Great. His sigil was a black eagle, just like my own family. We shall fly this black eagle on gold, and tell the other villages that all those who wish to join us fly the same. That is how we can tell who is friend and who is foe."

"Then let us begin the march of the Eagle's Army," Olaf said.