Children of the Sun - a Cuzco MEIOU AAR

[Nikolai II]

The "Reconquista" has expanded across the ocean..

[Marshall Daub]

This is a crazy AAR. The Europeans must think the Incans stand 7 feet tall, shoot fire from their palms, and eat Spanish newborns. Of course, it wouldn't hurt to spread this as propaganda.

[naggy]

The Europeans must think the Incans stand 7 feet tall, shoot fire from their palms, and eat Spanish newborns. Of course, it wouldn't hurt to spread this as propaganda.

Yes. In response, I believe the Europeans are trying to perfect their Volcanic Eruption Technology.

[FinnishFish]

Hehe... A perfect foothold on Europe.

[MannheimCouncil]

Great update. The last sentence made me laugh so hard. You have to admit the French are pretty clever. They found the only way of escaping the wrath of the Inca Empire.

Does this fleet action put Genève on the Sapa Inca's list? It might be a bit undeserved, but you face the problem of taking over very ugly bits and pieces of the British Isles otherwise. If in doubt you could go with conquering them all and releasing Scotland in the end.

[Athalcor]

Do you actually plan a WC?

[morningSIDEr]

So the stepping stone to Europe is now secured. Doubtless many European nations are now trembling at the thought of the ever approaching Inca!

[gabor]

Ireland? why Ireland?
Congrats on your conquest. May Europe tremble!

[aldriq]

First invasion! All went well, except for that surprising Irish fleet; with one coastal province left they won't be bothering you again...

[MacDunne]

Good to see this AAR still going strong and that I've come back in time to see the Children of the Sun make their mark on the "old world". I like the grudge list you compiled as the reason to make your way to Europe. Look forward to seeing what the future chapters will hold.

[blsteen]

The invasion of Ireland went well. It will serve as a stepping stone for greater things, I'm sure.

[Lord Strange]

This AAR is fantastic. Well written and enjoyable, I wish there were more like it.

The fact that it's the Incas slaughtering their way across the world merely adds to the glory that is this AAR.

Thus I award you a Lord Strange Cookie of British Awesomeness ●

[Malurous]

I still can't get over the stories Europeans must tell each other about the Inca. Then, having them appear in Ireland . . .

Great update, Malurous. Bad luck with the heir, though.

Thanks! Good thing about the heir situation? I don't think the Incas have more than one dynasty in the game, so even if Huayna Capac II dies without an heir the successor is likely to be a Hanan. But even so, it just wouldn't feel right.

Yeah, I'm sure the Europeans actually living in Europe used to think that the stories the colonists tell about the Inca are just some sort of tall tales, but now they're probably realizing that This. Is. Real.

I seem to remember Ireland is a great place for Invasion Europe

Also, objecting to Norwegian Greenland is a little bit harsh - not like they're Swedish is it!

Haha, Ireland works, doesn't it? That's not necessarily the reason, but I'm leaning towards just leaving the Norwegians alone if there are no more provocations.

The "Reconquista" has expanded across the ocean..

We're just taking what's rightfully ours, made so by the European transgressions.

This is a crazy AAR. The Europeans must think the Incans stand 7 feet tall, shoot fire from their palms, and eat Spanish newborns. Of course, it wouldn't hurt to spread this as propaganda.

Thank you and welcome! Yeah, we're the boogeymen the Europeans use to scare their children. As for the part about Spanish newborns, I wouldn't bet against that having happened at some point...

Yes. In response, I believe the Europeans are trying to perfect their Volcanic Eruption Technology.

How considerate of them! They'll make fine sla... umm... subjects, getting to know our customs beforehand like that!

Hehe... A perfect foothold on Europe.

Indeed, it's very handy: easy to defend yet close to the mainland.

Great update. The last sentence made me laugh so hard. You have to admit the French are pretty clever. They found the only way of escaping the wrath of the Inca Empire.

Thank you! That's the only conclusion I could draw.

Does this fleet action put Genève on the Sapa Inca's list? It might be a bit undeserved, but you face the problem of taking over very ugly bits and pieces of the British Isles otherwise. If in doubt you could go with conquering them all and releasing Scotland in the end.

No it doesn't, it happened in Europe. Only American activities get you on the list.

However, this AAR is no Gentlemen in Germany: the Aesthetically Pleasing Borders CB is alive and well. Should Geneve decide to protect one of my targets against me, which they're likely to do, I'd expect to take a province or three to make the eventual English holdings prettier and easier to manage (i.e. with land connection between provinces). But they won't face destruction unless they operate in the Americas at some point.

Do you actually plan a WC?

No. I've done a WC exactly once (Castille in IN, just for the record) mostly because it felt like something that a rather dedicated EU III player should do, but I really don't enjoy the "mopping up" stage. When I run out of meaningful things to do, the game ends. Besides, going way over the infamy limit isn't my idea of entertainment either, and I'm certain an under the limit WC isn't possible in MEIOU (way more provinces, no boundary disputes etc.).

So the stepping stone to Europe is now secured. Doubtless many European nations are now trembling at the thought of the ever approaching Inca!

I'm sure they are, see my response to Omen.

Ireland? why Ireland?
Congrats on your conquest. May Europe tremble!

Thanks, they will!

Because Ireland is on the list for their earlier American colonization, and because it was convenient. I wouldn't have gone for one of the major Europeans yet because there's still stuff I need to concentrate on in America and the transportation of large armies between the continents is a bit tricky, but Ireland was simple and will help with the travel. Essentially noticing that Ireland is an option moved the European "program" ahead a decade or two.

First invasion! All went well, except for that surprising Irish fleet; with one coastal province left they won't be bothering you again...

Admiral Plunkett, you'll get what's coming to you eventually! *shakes fist*

Good to see this AAR still going strong and that I've come back in time to see the Children of the Sun make their mark on the "old world". I like the grudge list you compiled as the reason to make your way to Europe. Look forward to seeing what the future chapters will hold.

Good timing indeed! It's important to remember that our new foreign policy was designed by an Inti scholar; it's bound to be a bit more extreme than anything an actual professional, or anyone secular for that matter, would have come up with.

The invasion of Ireland went well. It will serve as a stepping stone for greater things, I'm sure.

It should do that. It's way easier to transport troops into mainland Europe from there than from America, that's for sure.

This AAR is fantastic. Well written and enjoyable, I wish there were more like it.

The fact that it's the Incas slaughtering their way across the world merely adds to the glory that is this AAR.

Thus I award you a Lord Strange Cookie of British Awesomeness ●

Thank you, added to the signature! And thanks for the praise as well. Well done catching up at this point, there are plenty of pages to go through.

[Malurous]

Chapter Sixty-eight
1697-1703

Just a quick correction to "the List": Aragon is also on it, has been since the beginning, but I forgot about them since, well, much like Normandy, they don't exist. Just pointing this out in case they reappear so it doesn't seem like I'm smiting them for no good reason.

Time for some peace and quiet for a while: infamy is at 15.7, and I have some army restructuring to do. All in all, I add over eighty regiments in the next two years, sixty for Ireland and twenty for various guard duties.

Chilkat starts producing lumber late in the year, while Suppoya (Trinidad) converts in January 1698. In addition to the South American mainland, both of the islands in its immediate vicinity are Inti now.

Caribs (one of the Antilles) sees the light of the Sun God in April, but our conversion efforts aren't all roses: one of our missionaries is said to be a wicked, wicked man. I throw money at the problem as the sum is negligible, with revolt risk as the other option.



In July I realize that my latest wars have finally put my land tradition over 50%; that's something I've been waiting for. With the high MIL Sapa Inca and good tradition, I can take a decision I obviously badly need.



Perhaps now our beleaguered armies can stand up to the European menace.

...wait a second.

Later in the month, our Greenland colonist succeeds and the province is culture flipped.



Galibi, Wadadli and Caniba, three of the Antilles, convert in August, October and November, respectively. That's pretty quick, most of the smaller Caribbean islands are Inti now.

Waicura, the southern tip of Baja California, grows into a city in November, with En-ne-sen higher up the Pacific coast following suit in January 1699. A colonist is sent to Pomo, trying to close the gap between my Pacific coast holdings, while men are sent to slaughter natives further north.

Kalaalisut, the Greenland colony, reaches city status in March. Excellent, fighting a war while it was available for seizing didn't seem tempting.

There's still some TI in the Atlantic Ocean, so I decide to hire an exlorer to correct this. We hit the jackpot!



There's nothing quite like a maneuver 6 explorer as under normal circumstances, his ships suffer no attrition. I expect to get rid of the TI quickly with this guy in charge. I give him two frigates and send him off.

The sad tale of Denmark ends in July. The nation had been stuck between Dutch and Swedish ambitions for a while, and now they're inherited by the French minor Trois-Eveches.

The TI between North America and Europe is gone by late August. The explorer is sick, he moves between normal sea provinces in two days or so. Still some work to do between South America and Africa though.

Ohlone grows into a city in October and a colonist is sent to Nuu-chah-nulth, AKA Vancouver Island.

Land tech level 44 is reached in the beginning of 1700. This gives a morale bonus.



A colonist is sent to Eyak, the next province in the north. Igneri (Puerto Rico) converts and Tuamotu, the only Pacific island group we've successfully colonized so far, gets fish as its not very surprising resource.

Xamaica is the next island to embrace Inti in May. Two of the Antilles left, and of course the northern ones, but other than that the OPM islands are converted.

Galapagos cores in June, while, when thinking about the next slider move, I finally realize that universities give missionaries in this version of the mod, +0.02 each. I start building seven of them immediately and feel really stupid about not noticing this earlier.

Speaking of the slider move, I choose to take the second step towards Free Subjects. I was pondering between that and Quality, will probably go there next time.

Holikochuk in the north grows into a city in August and there's a notable peace agreement in Europe as Savoy forces Brittany to release France and Normandy. France is a 2PM and Normandy an OPM, but both have to be annihilated eventually.



Guajajara, the South American inland province, reaches city status in December while Naval tech 41 and Government tech 43 are discovered days later when 1701 begins.

Our explorer has finished the Atlantic Ocean and starts going around Africa. The most interesting find is an Irish colony in Benguela, Angola. As the English colonize Ovambo, the province south of Benguela, soon after, these two provinces become obvious short term targets for me.

Karukera, one of the Antilles, converts in March while I colonize Chaqu. It's an inland province but I had the mission to colonize it. The next one is to build a university in Tikal - construction is begun.

Northern colony Chilkat reaches city status in June, while the adjacent Eyak starts producing fur soon after, and Chaqu gets maize. The added fur is notable as the producer bonus increases.



Caicos embraces Inti in August, while I've explored all of Africa's coastline. Time to check out Madagascar and head for the Indian Ocean. I also start sending gifts to my pal Fez; if I conquer the Irish and English colonies I'm going to get a border with them, so I want even better relations just in case.

Anishnaabe in the U.S. region converts in January 1702, while Chaqu grows into a city in February. With many of my colonies either in the Pacific Ocean or in the far north the colonist times are very long, so I sometimes have spare colonists before starting a new faraway colony is feasible. Because of this Chaqu grew quickly for such a useless province.

Unless I've forgotten something, it's been over a decade since the latest natural disaster. Paria corrects this as 4600 people die of the plague in March. Government tech level 44 is reached in May, while the southern part of the South American coast begins a fast-moving coring process.

Colonists are sent to Tokelau, another Pacific island group, and Baure, the South American inland province that's almost next to Cuzco. I've always found it a bit ridiculous that the Inca would spread all around the continent - and recently world - but not go there, so it's time to rectify that.

In the summer I decide to ask for military access to recently discovered Majapahit just in case. I don't expect the Irish or the English to sail here, but I don't want to put the exploring fleet in risk either. The explorer heads to port in late August as the truce runs out and war is declared.



With 80000 men in Ireland, occupying the capital isn't a huge challenge. The Irish army is eliminated and the province assaulted within three weeks of the beginning of the war.

Feeling confident after the previous war's naval encounter, admiral Plunkett? Well, this time I brought a six fire, six shock admiral of my own as well as a neat little force of 131 ships.



Overkill? Absolutely. But I wasn't going to take any chances after how it went last time.

Looking at the ships I captured, Sacramento is a Portuguese ship name. Seems that I'm not the only one the Irish have been harassing.

I occupy Ellan Vannin (Isle of Man) and start looking at landing some men into England. I won't be taking much if anything from them in this war, but it may be smart to weaken their army a little bit before I turn my attention towards Africa.

Baure starts producing cocoa in December while Pomo grows into a city. I'm one discovery away from having a continuous Pacific coast all the way to Alaska. Pomo also starts producing maize.

The English land three regiments to Kalinago. Bravo, I sink two of their transports and capture the third after my local forces deal with the attack.

In February 1703 my fleet drops most of the men off to Ireland while some start the long journey towards Africa. While we're waiting for that, Otaheite gets lumber as its resource, we get Government tech 45 and a colonist is sent to Kiribati (it's the 18th century, no risk of it sinking just yet). The men arrive in June and Benguela is seized.



An Irish big ship is sunk and a galley captured near the coast of Benguela. The captured vessel will make a nice pirate patrol here.

Now that we've taken the colony and the ship, it's time to scratch the first name from the list. Ireland is annexed on July 1st.



My men reach Ovambo in August, and the English colony is seized.



Both of the colonies get an Inca colonist in an attempt to culture flip. The fleet stays for now as it needs some repairs, while I'll leave the men in the colonies. I start recruiting some more troops in Brazil in order to replace the ones left in Africa, it's close enough that the fleet can pick them up easily when it heads back to Europe.

Nuu-chah-nulth starts producing maize and Wapislina cores in November. With that, the only non-core coastal provinces in South America are the former Spanish colonies in Venezuela - everything I colonized is cored now.

I decide that I want to take Ellan Vannin. I don't want to let the English off the hook for nothing, and I won't be targeting them any time soon anyway. They're not willing to negotiate, but that changes on the 23rd when their perfect admiral doesn't quite have the ships to respond to our combined fleet.



I suppose the English realize that they can't fight this war without a navy, as they then accept my offer. They cede Ellan Vannin, give up their core on Kalinago and hand me a bit of cash.



Pretty, isn't it? And I mean the part that we own, not the mess that is the main island.

[Omen]

True splotchy purple and red with a yellow cap doesn't compare to Incan brownish. : )

[morningSIDEr]

Just pointing this out in case they reappear so it doesn't seem like I'm smiting them for no good reason.

Inca always has a good reason for smiting a foe; she brings the wonderful rule of Inca's royalty to newly capture provinces, she brings Inca's brilliant religion, Inca's fashionable brown map colour and, most importantly, she'll intill in her newly won population a healthy fear of diseases and volcanoes!

[Athalcor]

You actually recaptured one of your own ships, didn't you ?

[MannheimCouncil]

Man, I guess the French are really pissed at Savoy for foiling their fool-proof plan to escape the Inca. There's a good chance they won't manage being annexed by someone else in time to avoid their just desserts. Thanks for another great update.

[FinnishFish]

This is starting to look easy... Too easy... [Insert here a suspicious eye-narrowing sequence.]

[MacDunne]

Holikochuk in the north grows into a city in August and there's a notable peace agreement in Europe as Savoy forces Brittany to release France and Normandy. France is a 2PM and Normandy an OPM, but both have to be annihilated eventually.

I'm sure France is not feeling so clever now. Just goes to show there is no running away from the wrath of the Incas.