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Range: Yes indeed! To next time....
Dewirix: Yes...but I think Talena's a bit too upset to see it that way. :p You know, the whole 'friend dying and being forced to flee' thing does that!
Boris: Perhaps not, but if you've got it, use it! And it IS a very nice gun!
blsteen: I'm not quite sure what you mean.... But the thing about EU3 is that without player intervention the same sorts of things happen as did historically...in a broad sense!

BAYEZID II PART 1

XXX

18/6/1434.

Talena cursed life in general, but spared a thought for the weather, the Turks and her own predicament. After swimming from the walls of Constantinople she had been forced to creep at nights along the shore of the Mamara before heading inland. She’d been forced to hide in forest as the Turkish army was still very near the city. For a week she’d been lost in a tangle of forests and swamps near Heraclea before striking out inland.

Z84Forest.jpg


That had been over two months ago, and her progress north had always been hindered, first by the Ottoman army decamping, then the Turkish capital of Edirne itself. Her own unique constitution ensured that she only felt hungry, rather than dying from starvation, but it did not help her temper much.

Z83Forest.gif


And now she was stuck. She was on the road leading along the Maritsa River into Edirne, and no way to cross. She could dive into the water and swim across, but the water was rapid, and the banks steep. If she tried to swim she might well be swept under, and she wasn’t sure whether she’d survive that or not. On the other side of her was a steep, rocky slope with a ruined church from Imperial times part way up. Before her was the Ottoman capital. To turn around now would be to go back miles to find a safe crossing, while to go forward would put her in the capital of the enemy.

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Z87River.jpg


It was as she stood there debating and looking south that she heard the thunder of hooves from behind her. Talena turned and swore. Cavalry was approaching down the road from the city. There were at least a dozen of them, and along the flat road they’d already seen her.
Talena stood still for a moment, and then darted up the overgrown path to the ruined church. It was that or dive into the river, which she had no desire to do. Not content with driving her off, the Turks dismounted and set off after her.
Thoughts and decisions flashed through her mind. She could run into the woods and avoid capture, she could fight them, or she could surrender. To a soldier the last option was unthinkable, but there were a lot of Ottoman soldiers, probably too many to fight. However, there was something she had to do. She had to stop some of her possessions falling into Turkish hands if she was killed or captured.
Taking the gun from her pack and making sure it was sealed in the air-tight bag, she added some other items and ran into the ruined church. She found a likely place and stuffed them in, then ran outside and towards the forest.

Z82church-ruins.jpg


It was only as she crested the hill she saw that she was trapped. The Turks, seemingly alert to ambush, had sent a force of soldiers parallel with the road on a small track, and these were now alerted to her presence by a trumpet blast.
Talena stood at bay as two dozen dismounted cavalry and infantry closed in on her. She drew her blade, but knew even she couldn’t fight so many.
A bearded Turk said something to her, and since she was bereft of her translator she had no clue what he was saying.
“”Woman. Give up!” he growled in broken Greek.
Talena raised her blade, but the infantry had their bows, and she well remembered the pain and darkness that an arrow to the heart had caused. And this time they would simply bury her and she’d be trapped, semi-alive, under the ground forever!
It was a terrible thought, so she dropped the knife.

Z85Janissaries.jpg


The leader gestured, and Talena was grabbed. Her wrists were tightly bound with rope, and she was dragged back down towards the road. She could tell, even without understanding the language, that they were astonished to find a woman dressed like her alone in the forest. Talena was expecting the worst, either to be executed or even worse, sold into a harem.

What she found instead was an ornate procession where bearers carried gold encrusted and curtained in silk litters, escorted by soldiers. It was clearly for someone important. And then Talena saw who was in the first of them. Immediately she pulled away, but her captors pushed her forward.
“Kneel!” the leader said in Greek.
With fifty swords present and her hands tied, Talena awkwardly knelt before Sultan Bayezid II. She couldn’t help but notice that he was not riding, and that his left shoulder where she had shot him was still bandaged and wrapped.
There was an exchange with the carriage in which the distant ruin and Talena were obviously discussed.
Finally the Sultan looked down at Talena. “What were you doing here?” he demanded in good Greek.
“I came to pray at the church, Lord,” she replied.
A boot to her stomach knocked her to the ground. “You will address me as Master,” the Sultan told her. “Well, be that as it may, you drew arms against my soldiers, and you were spying on me.”
Talena got to her knees again. She would rather have put her hand in a fire then call anyone ‘Master’, but it couldn’t be helped. “Master, I did not know you were passing until I saw your soldiers.”
The Sultan coughed violently before looking down at her. “You are Greek?” he looked at her dirty and torn clothes. “Fleeing from Constantinople, perhaps?” He seemed to consider. “You will come with me back to Constantinople, girl. I have some announcements to make there.” He gestured to his guards and gave orders, before laying back on his cushions.
Talena found herself hustled down the procession to join a group of other prisoners surrounded by Ottoman soldiers. She sighed; she was going back to Constantinople!

Z86Sultan.jpg


XXX

Sultan Bayezid had accomplished in only a few years what so many before had failed to do – he had conquered Constantinople and destroyed the final remnants of the Roman Empire, and stood at a pinnacle of prestige at home and abroad.
To cement his power, and perpetuate his nation’s legacy, he therefore declared that he was the successor of the Roman Empire, and that he would henceforth be known as the Padishah, the King of Kings. Constantinople, renamed officially to Istanbul, would be his capital, and he claimed dominion over all the former Empire’s lands.

69ByzantiumDestroyed.jpg



Much of this was propaganda of course, but the Sultan was a religious man, who believed he had the divine and most important command to fulfil these goals. Soon he would begin to look south towards the remaining Greek territories held by the Republic of Venice....


68AnnexByzantium.jpg
 
Just a simple note - Constantinople was by most named Konstantinnye(or sth like that) until like 17-18th century when it was officially considered Istanbul...

Anyway, good progress =3
 
Indeed it was. Istanbul meaning simply "In the city" or such.

However, since this is an alternate history...I just decided to be slightly lazy and give it a clear split of a name. I guess I should have done otherwise.

Thanks! Glad you liked it. :)
 
I read your AAR and I must commend on it!

The idea is imaginative and original and I especially like how you play the game in a historic sense. Returning Aragonese provinces, letting your crazy king be crazy, going with a passive Pope and all that.

You take being non-gamey to a new level! And I like that!

Kudos
 
Thanks! Appreciate the comment.

WC AARs are great, and I love the Prawnstar ones where Iroquois rule 3/4 of the world. But personally, I think it's just as fun to not conquer the world, and to lose occasionally.

There's a lot of potential for RPing in EU3, and there's some great authors who have explored it. I'm glad to have found a niche for myself.

Thanks for commenting! :)
 
Thanks! Appreciate the comment.

WC AARs are great, and I love the Prawnstar ones where Iroquois rule 3/4 of the world. But personally, I think it's just as fun to not conquer the world, and to lose occasionally.

There's a lot of potential for RPing in EU3, and there's some great authors who have explored it. I'm glad to have found a niche for myself.

Thanks for commenting! :)

I personally roleplaying also, but i later intend on writing a WC aar somepoint
 
The AAR is still amazing...the narrative never bogs down...and, you've got the cliffhangers down to a science.
 
Nice update - told you the Sultan wasn't all bad - now he's out rounding up an audience for his speech personally. I'd have just sent some flunkies, but he obviously values the personal touch.

WC AARs are great, and I love the Prawnstar ones where Iroquois rule 3/4 of the world. But personally, I think it's just as fun to not conquer the world, and to lose occasionally.

Definitely agree on the losing occasionally bit, but it certainly goes against the grain as a gamer. I just had the best war so far in Vicky 2 which saw my Colombian armies pushed all the way out of Central America and only saved from total defeat by the UK-owned Panama canal.

It would have made a brilliantly dramatic AAR, but it wasn't the way I'd planned the war to go when I started, and I almost reloaded when it became clear I was going to lose badly at the outset.
 
Boris: Yes, I'd like to do a flat out WC one day! Probably with Timurids...they're the sort of super villains you can really get behind. :p
Range: Thanks! :D You're too kind.
Dewirix: Yes, the Sultan's not a bad guy. Bit James Bond-like in his gloating though. We'll see where that gets him! ;)
Razgriz 2k9: Glad you're liking it! :) If you have any suggestions do say! Happy to have you on board. :D

BAYEZID II PART 2

XXX

5/7/1434

Talena had only lain down on her rough bed for a few minutes when the door to her cell was shoved open. The cell, part of the old Imperial Palace’s dungeons, was bare and cold, but it was something of a relief after the long march from Edirne. For most of that time she had her hands bound, and had been driven along like cattle. At one stage she had had enough and kicked one of her guards in the groin, but had been grabbed and hit repeatedly. After that she’d been guarded even more heavily, and there had been no time to escape.

Z91Prison-cell.jpg


Now the guards entered warily, spears levelled. “Woman! You come!” the Captain who had originally captured her told her.
Talena got up and walked along with them. They were nervous around her, it was sure, even more so than normal. She wondered why, and she was still wondering as she was led into the throne room of the palace. The same room where Zoë and her would often sit and talk, and where the Empress died.
A spear prodded her into the room, and she approached the Sultan, who sat on the throne, slumped slightly. His shoulder was still bandaged, though it looked better.
“I know who you are now,” Bayezid said, leaning forward. His eyes glittered.
For a moment Talena thought he somehow recognised her as the attempted assassin. She settled on a safer answer. “Indeed?”
“Yes. You are the woman...Talena...who was advisor to the usurper Empress. You two women...conspiring and plotting.”
Talena’s eyes narrowed. “Usurper? She was the daughter of the last Emperor, and none opposed that.”
“Women cannot be rulers. It is against God’s will,” the Sultan told her. “It is only right that she perished.”
Talena’s fists clenched, and three of the guards grabbed her to stop her advancing on the Sultan.
“I see she was dear to you. That is the way of your kind. But since she is dead, you will have to do. It is only right that you see me now as the true Emperor of the Roman Empire. I, Sultan Bayezid of the House of Hawashim declare myself to be the true descendent of the Empire. And I will spread the faith of Islam to every land once occupied by Rome and beyond! I am now the King of Kings...the Padishah!”
Talena looked at the man, and saw the light in his eyes. “Times have changed. Two Roman Empires have fallen, and someday yours will too.”
One of the guards hit Talena hard across the face, and she responded by tripping him. Guards ran forward and grabbed her, forcing her to the ground through sheer numbers. Ropes were produced and she was bound hand and foot and dragged before the Padishah.
“For that I should have you executed, woman,” the Padishah said. “But I have a better idea. You will come with me, and you will see my reconquests. Reconquests your harlot of a false Empress could never do.”
Talena struggled angrily against her bonds, and the Sultan laughed.
“Yes, this will be well worth it. You will stay in this throne room, girl, and when it comes time you will come with me to witness my triumph!”

Z90Topkapi-Palace2.jpg

Z89Topkapi-Palace-Interior.jpg


73IstanbulCapital.jpg


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XXX

Despite his clear intent to go to war to conquer all Greece, the Sultan did not do so at once. Instead he set about pacifying his new Empire. He constructed a new palace in Istanbul, enacted generous laws of toleration, and created many new works of art to glorify his victory over the Empire.

74OttomanTolerance.jpg


One of his key reforms was to stop the reliance on trading through Alexandria, and promote local trading through a centre of the trade in Western Anatolia. This in turn generated more money for the Sultan, and also increased his prestige as an independent power.

Z92Bazaar.jpg


It was only in late 1437 that the Ottoman army left Istanbul and headed for the border with the Venetian provinces in Greece. At this time this included the islands of Corfu and Naxos, as well as the lands around Athens and Attica. With their excellent spies the Venetians had managed to station a large army near Athens, along with a fleet. However, in the face of the Ottoman forces they would prove to be powerless.

The first Venetian move was an invasion of Achaea, but it was there, very near to where the Roman Army was defeated by the Ottomans, that they came to grief.


76JihadAgainstVenice.jpg


XXX

29/1/1438

To call it a battle would be wrong. It had been a massacre. Outnumbered three to one, the Venetians would have been hard pressed to fight the Turkish forces at the best of times. Caught in the open with the sea on one side, there could only be one result.

77VenetianDefeat.jpg


Talena watched as dozens of captive Venetians were marched before the Padishah for his inspection. Some of those Italians spared a curious look for the woman in a large cage beside the Padishah’s throne, but most trudged on to captivity.
Sighing, Talena turned away from the body scattered dunes. She doubted if even two hundred Turks had fallen, compared to the hundreds of Venetians driven into the sea or killed on the beach.
She pushed at the cage again, but it was as solid iron as ever. Having the ability to regenerate did not mean she could magically break solid metal, and so she had been put on a wagon and wheeled humiliatingly along with the Padishah on his campaign, to make sure she witnessed his victory.

Z93Cage.jpg


“And you see, just twenty miles from where your whore Empress’ army failed, again the forces of Christianity fall to the warriors of Islam,” Bayezid exulted.
Talena would have killed him there and then but for the cage, the two hundred soldiers, and the fact her own hands were tied behind her back. Instead she stewed and promised she would get revenge...somehow. Somehow she’d make this man pay.
Disappointed he’d gotten no rise from his captive, Bayezid gestured to his guards. “Let us go. We march on Athens!”
There was a cheer, and everyone rejoiced, except of course Talena Mazari.

XXX

It took less than a year. As it happened there needed to be only one battle. The Ottoman fleet, now composing dozens of galleys, drove back the Venetian ships and prevented them resupplying their remaining fortresses.
Rhodes also fell, for the Knights of St John had foolishly invaded Anatolia and raided as far as Smyrna, hoping to take advantage of the Ottoman’s distraction. However, the Sultan despatched an army, and Rhodes was taken after a long siege.
By January 1439 all the Venetian possessions in Greece were occupied and Venice was forced to relinquish their control. For Venice this was nearly a death blow, and within a few years they begun a sad decline until finally they were occupied by Aquilia. Although they broke free again, Venice as a power was broken.

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78GreeceOccupied.jpg


It was in this atmosphere of triumph that a most bizarre story reached the Padishah’s court. It seemed that the Greeks of Kaffa in the Crimea had overthrown the Genoese and had proclaimed themselves to be the reborn Roman Empire! The Padishah would not stand for this insult, and begun to mobilise his armies....


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Personally I think he's an arrogant chauvinist who is trying to prove to himself and others why men are better. :p

But of course, having an immortal as your prisoner adds a little to your presige, perhaps.
 
Yeah, till one day a soldier from the future trained in the ways of the warrior gets free from her cage and...
methinks the Sultan would want to be out of town that day. Cause that day will come. Especially as the years go by (cause really what else has she to do but wait)and perhaps some Byzantine partisans were to make their presence known.
 
Those Ottoman missions are so awesome.
 
I've just spent the last couple of hours reading through this, its excellent stuff. Its very original and the fact that you do RP (something I never do, I have to admit), just adds to how interesting everything has proven. I never would have expected such an insane Castilian monarch for example (although perhaps I should have, European rulers did not have a good record in this regard). Consider me very much subscribed.