Excellent updates! The White Hand has made a grand replacement for the power of the Ottomans! Well done!
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1st Austrian War - 1588-1589
The army's messenger sprinted to the throne room, sliding across the marble floors. Sweating and panting, he barely made the turn into the hall leading to the Sultan's personal guards.
"I must see the Sultan; war is upon us."
The guards nodded, opening the ornate double doors and leading the messenger in. The messenger looked up at the Sultan, Hizir IV of the Saruhanoglu, and dropped to his knees. He bowed once to the floor, then spoke at a gesture from Hizir.
"Padishah Sultan," he managed to gasp out before continuing, "our allies in Europe are under attack. The Austrians have declared a Crusade against us... while the Pope has not blessed the invasion, a number of Austria's vassals from within the so-called Holy Roman Empire have joined them." Pausing briefly to catch his breath, he continued. "General Pargali is leading the Army of Greece to oppose them, but both the Imperial Guards and the Army of Anatolia are on this side of the Aegean; it will take some time for them to cross and give battle."
The Sultan pursed his lips, then gestured in dismissal to the messenger. He stood, calling to his Vizier.
"Get this messenger a warm bath and a night of sleep, he has earned it. Then bring me my own messengers and my generals. We must do what we can."
The Austrian declaration of war caught Saruhan almost entirely by surprise. There were no diplomatic indications that such a war was imminent, and the Empire expected that the buffer of Allies that they had created between them and the HRE would serve as an effective obstacle, if not an outright deterrent. This expectation was rather rudely broken.
The Austrian armies streamed into Croatia, overrunning the small nation in a matter of weeks. The invading Austrians were sufficient in number that they were also able to simultaneously attack against Serbia and Transylvania. Croatia fell utterly, surrendering and becoming annexed by the Austrians; the other two nations agreed to leave the war and the alliance, leaving Saruhan and Bulgaria alone against the forces of Austria.
Finally, Saruhani armies managed to reach the Bosphorus and cross into Greece where a rapidly evolving war of maneuver took place. Multiple armies marched through both Bulgaria and Greece, attempting to engage in combat with advantageous conditions.
Finally, armies of the Hand managed to catch up with the enemy, in both Macedonia and Burgas. Two of the Austrian armies were destroyed and scattered.
A joint force of Saruhani and Bulgarian armies then drove into Serbia, attacking and destroying yet another Austrian army.
While these armies moved back into defensive positions, however, depleted and low on supplies, word came in that yet another several divisions of fresh troops were marching into the area through Croatia. Diplomats from both sides met; during the discussions, Austria agreed that they had met their goals: expanding their influence over Croatia while proving to their neighbors within Europe that they were a force to be reckoned with. The Saruhani armies had proven that they were sufficient to the task of fighting against the Europeans and had maintained their honor and prestige. As such, the two sides agreed that hostilities could be concluded.
Hizir IV declared that the west would no longer be undefended in such a manner again; the Army of Greece was given a number of additional battalions under its command and another army was planned to be raised within Anatolia that would stay closer to the Aegean Sea for rapid response into Europe if called for.
Strangely, as negotiations took place between the Austrian and Saruhani alliances, the northern European nation of Pommerania declared war upon the Empire. It is unclear what goals they had in doing so (perhaps it was a late attempt to take advantage of the Hand being distracted by the Austrian war) but it served them no purpose. Pommerania's allies, however, were rather taken aback by the sudden declaration and were completely unprepared for war to come to them.
Crete was annexed in short order, finally fulfilling one of the earliest goals of Saruhan and leaving only Cyprus remaining to give them hegemony over the entirety of Greek lands; a naval force swept into the Adriatic and (after making diplomatic overtures to Great Britain) vassalized Aquilea.
The vassalization of Aquilea was the Hand's first attempt at expanding its influence over Europe proper; it would not last long (a Sultan would release them as part of a war settlement in the next century) but it did mark an important step towards perhaps becoming a power in the west as well as the middle east.
End of Book 3; a look at the world in 1600 will come next before the 4th chapter begins.
The army's messenger sprinted to the throne room, sliding across the marble floors. Sweating and panting, he barely made the turn into the hall leading to the Sultan's personal guards.
"I must see the Sultan; war is upon us."
The guards nodded, opening the ornate double doors and leading the messenger in. The messenger looked up at the Sultan, Hizir IV of the Saruhanoglu, and dropped to his knees. He bowed once to the floor, then spoke at a gesture from Hizir.
"Padishah Sultan," he managed to gasp out before continuing, "our allies in Europe are under attack. The Austrians have declared a Crusade against us... while the Pope has not blessed the invasion, a number of Austria's vassals from within the so-called Holy Roman Empire have joined them." Pausing briefly to catch his breath, he continued. "General Pargali is leading the Army of Greece to oppose them, but both the Imperial Guards and the Army of Anatolia are on this side of the Aegean; it will take some time for them to cross and give battle."
The Sultan pursed his lips, then gestured in dismissal to the messenger. He stood, calling to his Vizier.
"Get this messenger a warm bath and a night of sleep, he has earned it. Then bring me my own messengers and my generals. We must do what we can."
The Austrian declaration of war caught Saruhan almost entirely by surprise. There were no diplomatic indications that such a war was imminent, and the Empire expected that the buffer of Allies that they had created between them and the HRE would serve as an effective obstacle, if not an outright deterrent. This expectation was rather rudely broken.
The Austrian armies streamed into Croatia, overrunning the small nation in a matter of weeks. The invading Austrians were sufficient in number that they were also able to simultaneously attack against Serbia and Transylvania. Croatia fell utterly, surrendering and becoming annexed by the Austrians; the other two nations agreed to leave the war and the alliance, leaving Saruhan and Bulgaria alone against the forces of Austria.
Finally, Saruhani armies managed to reach the Bosphorus and cross into Greece where a rapidly evolving war of maneuver took place. Multiple armies marched through both Bulgaria and Greece, attempting to engage in combat with advantageous conditions.
Finally, armies of the Hand managed to catch up with the enemy, in both Macedonia and Burgas. Two of the Austrian armies were destroyed and scattered.
A joint force of Saruhani and Bulgarian armies then drove into Serbia, attacking and destroying yet another Austrian army.
While these armies moved back into defensive positions, however, depleted and low on supplies, word came in that yet another several divisions of fresh troops were marching into the area through Croatia. Diplomats from both sides met; during the discussions, Austria agreed that they had met their goals: expanding their influence over Croatia while proving to their neighbors within Europe that they were a force to be reckoned with. The Saruhani armies had proven that they were sufficient to the task of fighting against the Europeans and had maintained their honor and prestige. As such, the two sides agreed that hostilities could be concluded.
Hizir IV declared that the west would no longer be undefended in such a manner again; the Army of Greece was given a number of additional battalions under its command and another army was planned to be raised within Anatolia that would stay closer to the Aegean Sea for rapid response into Europe if called for.
Strangely, as negotiations took place between the Austrian and Saruhani alliances, the northern European nation of Pommerania declared war upon the Empire. It is unclear what goals they had in doing so (perhaps it was a late attempt to take advantage of the Hand being distracted by the Austrian war) but it served them no purpose. Pommerania's allies, however, were rather taken aback by the sudden declaration and were completely unprepared for war to come to them.
Crete was annexed in short order, finally fulfilling one of the earliest goals of Saruhan and leaving only Cyprus remaining to give them hegemony over the entirety of Greek lands; a naval force swept into the Adriatic and (after making diplomatic overtures to Great Britain) vassalized Aquilea.
The vassalization of Aquilea was the Hand's first attempt at expanding its influence over Europe proper; it would not last long (a Sultan would release them as part of a war settlement in the next century) but it did mark an important step towards perhaps becoming a power in the west as well as the middle east.
End of Book 3; a look at the world in 1600 will come next before the 4th chapter begins.
Very nice work but an even bigger Austria is scary. How far ahead are they in tech?
Ahh, I had hoped for better results than that. The growth of the HRE is never a good thing, especially when it's Austria. Fortunately, the Med. is looking a little bit cleaner now that one more island has joined the dominant country (and color) in the Eastern world. Better luck next time.
Those were crazy numbers of Austrians. Austria always gets stupid amounts of manpower from the HRE. 
I'm actually fairly even with most of Europe in tech since westernizing. There are a couple tiny one- or two-province nations a little bit ahead of the world, but there's some parity amongst the rest. It will be a bit of a hassle to keep up, though, since my inflation is kind of severe. We'll see.
Turns out that I didn't have a savegame, nor sufficient screenshots around 1600 to do a proper intermission report, so we'll pick this up right at 1590. (Update incoming.)
(Update incoming.)
This update composed while listening to the following album on Spotify: Various Artists – Oriental Guitar - Turkish & Arabic Instrumental Music
Book 4: The Fall of the Saruhanoglu Dynasty
Restoring the Honor of the Empire - 1590-1607
The war with Austria had left the Imperial Council shaken. Behind closed doors, the Sultan's closest advisors argued amongst themselves for weeks, trying to decide the best course of action in the near future. They feared that losing the war with the Austrians may be taken by the rest of Europe as a sign of weakness, that the Saruhan Empire could easily be conquered. Even if this wasn't true, argued one councilor, the impression that it was true could encourage more nations than they could handle fighting at once.
The Sultan, Hizir IV, finally entered one of these meetings. Slamming the door behind him, thus silencing the arguments without speaking a word, Hizir moved to his seat at the head of the table. Looking at the gathered ministers with a patient expression, he sighed, then quietly began speaking to them.
"We know that we are strong, but I agree with many of you that we must ensure that we are not perceived as weak. We will, therefore... do what we can to give the right impression. I am getting too old to lead an attack on the west, and that will likely draw down wrath upon us, so instead we will demonstrate our unity and will to defend our lands."
"To this end, we will do the following. First, we will fortify Greece. Any attacks from Europe will come through there first, and while Anatolia is our homeland, Greece is our bulwark, our mighty wall. Ilyastanbul, that great city, shall become not only a center of commerce but our strongest fortress, with two entire legions at its direct command."
"Second... we shall move to ensure the unity of the Muslim lands against outsiders, and thirdly... well, you shall all see."
At the beginning of 1590, there were a series of small skirmished along the border between Georgia and Saruhan. It was unclear if the Georgian forces were armies or simply roving bandits, but the Sultan declared that if they could not control their people, the Georgians were not worthy to hold the land. He sent the army in to "quell the rebellious province", folding it into the Empire.
Taking control of Imreti from Georgia, however, brought the Empire into contact with the Sibirian nomads of the north. They had built a significant holding in Siberia, but this far south they were unable to exercise their influence. The Empire quickly moved an army into the area and began colonization efforts.
As 1600 turned, Europe and the Middle East seemed to be falling under the control of several large nations, although Germany and France remained highly fragmented.
While performing research to create the 1600 map for the Sultan, however, a cartographer came across a set of documents in the deep archives of Ilyastan. Dating to the old Byzantine Empire, the documents detailed an Ottoman claim to Albania. The Sultan smiled, and explained to his councilors that as the Hand was the natural successor to the Ottoman Empire, so too did this claim fall to them. Plans would be made to acquire this land from whomever happened to own it... which was currently Bohemia, claiming it after a war with Austria.
While the Empire began to lay long-term plans to expand into Albania, the matter was accelerated somewhat. In a rather inexplicable move, Bohemia declared war upon Saruhan.
What made the declaration particularly stunning was that Bohemia had no military access through the nations between them and the Bulgarian-Saruhani alliance. Perhaps they assumed that their own allies would be able to prosecute the war while they performed diplomacy upon Prussia and Austria to allow their armies to reach Saruhan... but they never managed to do so.
Hizir the Great, however, was a highly respected monarch at the head of a very prestigious nation. He easily negotiated movement rights for his armies through Eastern Europe to strike at the allies of Bohemia without having to actually face the larger nation's armies in battle. Bohemian forces watched impotently as Saruhani armies marched through Poland to attack Pskov; naval-bound armies landed in Southern Europe to perform the same tasks there.
In the end, all of Bohemia's allies found themselves occupied while the Czechs were unable to counterattack. In the end, the smaller allies demanded the surrender of the Bohemian-led alliance; in the peace treaty, Bohemia ceded Albania to Saruhan, along with a small economic reparation.
After the war, the Sultan was approached by representatives of the Islamic clergy of Anatolia. They patiently explained to Hizir IV that his policy of allowing Greece to practice their own Christian religion, originally intended to placate European nations and prevent wars, was clearly failing. While they stopped short of threatening to revoke their support of the Sultan, they were able to convince him to allow them a little more leeway in their actions in Greece.
After some time, the provinces of Georgia and Alania came fully under Saruhani control. This was significant in an economic sense, as Alania housed impressive deposits of gold. As the nomads were unable to exploit the mining possibilities, the Sultan was pleased that his people would be the first to truly delve into the land to take advantage of it.
Unfortunately, shortly after this, Hizir IV's eldest son died of an illness. The Sultan's second (and only other) son was named crown prince, but there were concerns as to both his health and ability to rule. As the Sultan had now ruled for almost 40 years, the nobility would become somewhat restless at the possibility of there being now proper heir to the long-ruling Padishah.
Several noble families quietly began building contacts within the army, perhaps to lay their own claims to the throne upon the death of the Sultan.
Book 4: The Fall of the Saruhanoglu Dynasty
Restoring the Honor of the Empire - 1590-1607
The war with Austria had left the Imperial Council shaken. Behind closed doors, the Sultan's closest advisors argued amongst themselves for weeks, trying to decide the best course of action in the near future. They feared that losing the war with the Austrians may be taken by the rest of Europe as a sign of weakness, that the Saruhan Empire could easily be conquered. Even if this wasn't true, argued one councilor, the impression that it was true could encourage more nations than they could handle fighting at once.
The Sultan, Hizir IV, finally entered one of these meetings. Slamming the door behind him, thus silencing the arguments without speaking a word, Hizir moved to his seat at the head of the table. Looking at the gathered ministers with a patient expression, he sighed, then quietly began speaking to them.
"We know that we are strong, but I agree with many of you that we must ensure that we are not perceived as weak. We will, therefore... do what we can to give the right impression. I am getting too old to lead an attack on the west, and that will likely draw down wrath upon us, so instead we will demonstrate our unity and will to defend our lands."
"To this end, we will do the following. First, we will fortify Greece. Any attacks from Europe will come through there first, and while Anatolia is our homeland, Greece is our bulwark, our mighty wall. Ilyastanbul, that great city, shall become not only a center of commerce but our strongest fortress, with two entire legions at its direct command."
"Second... we shall move to ensure the unity of the Muslim lands against outsiders, and thirdly... well, you shall all see."
At the beginning of 1590, there were a series of small skirmished along the border between Georgia and Saruhan. It was unclear if the Georgian forces were armies or simply roving bandits, but the Sultan declared that if they could not control their people, the Georgians were not worthy to hold the land. He sent the army in to "quell the rebellious province", folding it into the Empire.
Taking control of Imreti from Georgia, however, brought the Empire into contact with the Sibirian nomads of the north. They had built a significant holding in Siberia, but this far south they were unable to exercise their influence. The Empire quickly moved an army into the area and began colonization efforts.
As 1600 turned, Europe and the Middle East seemed to be falling under the control of several large nations, although Germany and France remained highly fragmented.
While performing research to create the 1600 map for the Sultan, however, a cartographer came across a set of documents in the deep archives of Ilyastan. Dating to the old Byzantine Empire, the documents detailed an Ottoman claim to Albania. The Sultan smiled, and explained to his councilors that as the Hand was the natural successor to the Ottoman Empire, so too did this claim fall to them. Plans would be made to acquire this land from whomever happened to own it... which was currently Bohemia, claiming it after a war with Austria.
While the Empire began to lay long-term plans to expand into Albania, the matter was accelerated somewhat. In a rather inexplicable move, Bohemia declared war upon Saruhan.
What made the declaration particularly stunning was that Bohemia had no military access through the nations between them and the Bulgarian-Saruhani alliance. Perhaps they assumed that their own allies would be able to prosecute the war while they performed diplomacy upon Prussia and Austria to allow their armies to reach Saruhan... but they never managed to do so.
Hizir the Great, however, was a highly respected monarch at the head of a very prestigious nation. He easily negotiated movement rights for his armies through Eastern Europe to strike at the allies of Bohemia without having to actually face the larger nation's armies in battle. Bohemian forces watched impotently as Saruhani armies marched through Poland to attack Pskov; naval-bound armies landed in Southern Europe to perform the same tasks there.
In the end, all of Bohemia's allies found themselves occupied while the Czechs were unable to counterattack. In the end, the smaller allies demanded the surrender of the Bohemian-led alliance; in the peace treaty, Bohemia ceded Albania to Saruhan, along with a small economic reparation.
After the war, the Sultan was approached by representatives of the Islamic clergy of Anatolia. They patiently explained to Hizir IV that his policy of allowing Greece to practice their own Christian religion, originally intended to placate European nations and prevent wars, was clearly failing. While they stopped short of threatening to revoke their support of the Sultan, they were able to convince him to allow them a little more leeway in their actions in Greece.
After some time, the provinces of Georgia and Alania came fully under Saruhani control. This was significant in an economic sense, as Alania housed impressive deposits of gold. As the nomads were unable to exploit the mining possibilities, the Sultan was pleased that his people would be the first to truly delve into the land to take advantage of it.
Unfortunately, shortly after this, Hizir IV's eldest son died of an illness. The Sultan's second (and only other) son was named crown prince, but there were concerns as to both his health and ability to rule. As the Sultan had now ruled for almost 40 years, the nobility would become somewhat restless at the possibility of there being now proper heir to the long-ruling Padishah.
Several noble families quietly began building contacts within the army, perhaps to lay their own claims to the throne upon the death of the Sultan.
Looking at that last map I was just thinking "hey Russia isn't usually that colour... oh"
This is being considered a continuation of the previous post, so no additional narrative introduction is included.
Sunni Civil War - 1610-1617
A failing of confidence in the dynasty amongst some noble families led them to attempt contacts within the army, with the intent of being able to take control of the Empire should the Sultan pass with no heirs. Unfortunately for them, the army was rather securely under control of the Saruhanoglu family, who did not take kindly to such intrigues.
The attempted noble uprising was swiftly put down.
Hizir IV's talks with the Islamic hierarchy had continued, and perhaps he was concerned that the end of his life was approaching. He issued a proclamation that the considerations given to Christians in Greece would no longer be in effect (in game terms, Divine Supremacy was taken as an idea, bringing the country to positive missionaries for the first time in a while).
Consistent with this idea, the Sultan commanded that the islands in the eastern Mediterranean must all come under his control. The last holdout amongst the islands was Cyprus; an invasion was planned and swiftly carried out.
The newly pious efforts of the Sultan had not gone unnoticed by the Empire's neighbors. The Persians, a theocracy under the direct control of their clerics, considered themselves to be the preeminent Sunni (and Islamic) nation in the world. In their eyes, the Sultan of Saruhan was infringing upon their responsibilities and overshadowing what they considered to be their exclusive right to leadership in the Muslim world. The fact that Saruhan was largely Turko-Arabic while Persia was, well, Persian doubtlessly did not help relations either.
In the end, diplomatic consultations between the nations did not go very well.
Upon declaration of hostilities between Saruhan and Persia, a number of noble families (most likely remembering what had happened to other families) decided to show their loyalty and support for the Sultan by donating some of their wealth to the war effort. Their funds were appreciated and went towards both troops and the economic development of Anatolia. Amongst the leaders of this group was Ahmet Candarli, a cousin of the Sultan whose ancestor had married a sister of the chief when both Saruhan and Candar were young nations. His leadership role would not be forgotten.
The war with Persia went fairly smoothly. While there was parity between the two nations in troop numbers, the greater experience of Saruhan's troops combined with their comparative technological advancement to give the Hand's armies significant advantages. Persia's armies found themselves outmaneuvered, negating their troops' numbers and were subsequently defeated in several decisive engagements.
While the war was being successfully prosecuted, though, developments from within and without the Empire were troubling. The remainder of the Mamluk kingdom, which had come to be ruled by a cadet branch of the Saruhanoglu dynasty, was failing. They reached out to the sultan for aid, who reluctantly granted it. Whether it would help would remain to be seen.
More significant however was the news that the Sultan's last heir, his youngest son Ilyas, had died. Disease had taken him, much like his older brother, and his death left the Empire in some doubt as to what would happen. The Sultan was far too old to sire children (his 50th year of rule was approaching), and the nobility worried about the possibility of disarray leading to the fall of the Empire.
A close to the war was negotiated with Persia. A stretch of land along the Euphrates River was surrendered by Persia; this was subsequently gifted to Saruhan's allies in Iraq both to unify the two portions of their nation and to form an effective buffer against the Persians for the future. In addition, as a punitive measure, Persia was forced to grant the Baluchistan region of their holdings independence.
The armies of Saruhan returned home, the generals riding quickly to Smyrna to attend the Sultan, whose health was said to be rapidly failing. Nearly 70 years old, Hizir IV had almost ruled for 50 years. His rule had seen the Saruhani people rise to become an Empire, and to unite both Turkish and Greek lands under its control. He fought two wars with Persia, securing the east against their influence, and had fought successfully in Europe to protect the western boundaries of the Empire. He had begun economic reforms of the empire as well, and going forward the Saruhan Empire would continue to become a major influence within the middle east.
Surrounded by nobles, generals, and clerics, Hizir the Great rested, waiting for his last breaths to come. Opening his eyes from sleep, he gestured to one of the assembled nobles, his cousin Ahmet Candarli. His leadership during the fight with Persia, and being willing to step forward in support when many others doubted had impressed the sultan. Hizir lifted his sheathed sword, that of his father, and handed it to the kneeling Ahmet. His last words were whispered to the new sultan, "take my people to the future".
As Hizir laid back and closed his eyes for the last time, Sultan Ahmet I, the first of the Candarli Dynasty, rose and turned to face his new people with tears in his eyes and a firm grip on the sword. He raised it above his head, and quietly spoke.
"To the future."
Sunni Civil War - 1610-1617
A failing of confidence in the dynasty amongst some noble families led them to attempt contacts within the army, with the intent of being able to take control of the Empire should the Sultan pass with no heirs. Unfortunately for them, the army was rather securely under control of the Saruhanoglu family, who did not take kindly to such intrigues.
The attempted noble uprising was swiftly put down.
Hizir IV's talks with the Islamic hierarchy had continued, and perhaps he was concerned that the end of his life was approaching. He issued a proclamation that the considerations given to Christians in Greece would no longer be in effect (in game terms, Divine Supremacy was taken as an idea, bringing the country to positive missionaries for the first time in a while).
Consistent with this idea, the Sultan commanded that the islands in the eastern Mediterranean must all come under his control. The last holdout amongst the islands was Cyprus; an invasion was planned and swiftly carried out.
The newly pious efforts of the Sultan had not gone unnoticed by the Empire's neighbors. The Persians, a theocracy under the direct control of their clerics, considered themselves to be the preeminent Sunni (and Islamic) nation in the world. In their eyes, the Sultan of Saruhan was infringing upon their responsibilities and overshadowing what they considered to be their exclusive right to leadership in the Muslim world. The fact that Saruhan was largely Turko-Arabic while Persia was, well, Persian doubtlessly did not help relations either.
In the end, diplomatic consultations between the nations did not go very well.
Upon declaration of hostilities between Saruhan and Persia, a number of noble families (most likely remembering what had happened to other families) decided to show their loyalty and support for the Sultan by donating some of their wealth to the war effort. Their funds were appreciated and went towards both troops and the economic development of Anatolia. Amongst the leaders of this group was Ahmet Candarli, a cousin of the Sultan whose ancestor had married a sister of the chief when both Saruhan and Candar were young nations. His leadership role would not be forgotten.
The war with Persia went fairly smoothly. While there was parity between the two nations in troop numbers, the greater experience of Saruhan's troops combined with their comparative technological advancement to give the Hand's armies significant advantages. Persia's armies found themselves outmaneuvered, negating their troops' numbers and were subsequently defeated in several decisive engagements.
While the war was being successfully prosecuted, though, developments from within and without the Empire were troubling. The remainder of the Mamluk kingdom, which had come to be ruled by a cadet branch of the Saruhanoglu dynasty, was failing. They reached out to the sultan for aid, who reluctantly granted it. Whether it would help would remain to be seen.
More significant however was the news that the Sultan's last heir, his youngest son Ilyas, had died. Disease had taken him, much like his older brother, and his death left the Empire in some doubt as to what would happen. The Sultan was far too old to sire children (his 50th year of rule was approaching), and the nobility worried about the possibility of disarray leading to the fall of the Empire.
A close to the war was negotiated with Persia. A stretch of land along the Euphrates River was surrendered by Persia; this was subsequently gifted to Saruhan's allies in Iraq both to unify the two portions of their nation and to form an effective buffer against the Persians for the future. In addition, as a punitive measure, Persia was forced to grant the Baluchistan region of their holdings independence.
The armies of Saruhan returned home, the generals riding quickly to Smyrna to attend the Sultan, whose health was said to be rapidly failing. Nearly 70 years old, Hizir IV had almost ruled for 50 years. His rule had seen the Saruhani people rise to become an Empire, and to unite both Turkish and Greek lands under its control. He fought two wars with Persia, securing the east against their influence, and had fought successfully in Europe to protect the western boundaries of the Empire. He had begun economic reforms of the empire as well, and going forward the Saruhan Empire would continue to become a major influence within the middle east.
Surrounded by nobles, generals, and clerics, Hizir the Great rested, waiting for his last breaths to come. Opening his eyes from sleep, he gestured to one of the assembled nobles, his cousin Ahmet Candarli. His leadership during the fight with Persia, and being willing to step forward in support when many others doubted had impressed the sultan. Hizir lifted his sheathed sword, that of his father, and handed it to the kneeling Ahmet. His last words were whispered to the new sultan, "take my people to the future".
As Hizir laid back and closed his eyes for the last time, Sultan Ahmet I, the first of the Candarli Dynasty, rose and turned to face his new people with tears in his eyes and a firm grip on the sword. He raised it above his head, and quietly spoke.
"To the future."
I see that the new Padishah will have some trouble maintaining order until the empire accepts his legitimacy.
As an aside, I recently added the following text to a file in my missions folder... :ninja:
Code:
become_ruler_of_gonder = {
type = country
allow = {
tag = SRU
is_lesser_in_union = no
is_subject = no
has_discovered = 1224
NOT = { owns = 1224 }
}
abort = {
or = {
is_subject = yes
is_lesser_in_union = yes
}
}
success = {
owns = 1224
}
chance = {
factor = 1000
modifier = {
factor = 2
MIL = 7
}
}
immediate = {
add_temp_claim = 1224
}
abort_effect = {
remove_temp_claim = 1224
}
effect = {
prestige = 0.1
}
}
Haha, great idea! I still think you should've named Constantinople Isengard, though =[
Just found this thread, amazing work! Crazy world you've made though, I've never seen an AI TO grow that much! Could we get some ledger shots perhaps?