• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.

Sybot

Colonel
78 Badges
Feb 15, 2006
1.162
99
  • Stellaris: Galaxy Edition
  • Magicka: Wizard Wars Founder Wizard
  • Crusader Kings II: Way of Life
  • Pillars of Eternity
  • Europa Universalis IV: Common Sense
  • Crusader Kings II: Horse Lords
  • Cities: Skylines - After Dark
  • Europa Universalis IV: Cossacks
  • Crusader Kings II: Conclave
  • Europa Universalis IV: Mare Nostrum
  • Stellaris
  • Stellaris: Galaxy Edition
  • Stellaris: Galaxy Edition
  • Europa Universalis IV: El Dorado
  • Stellaris Sign-up
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Cadet
  • Crusader Kings II: Reapers Due
  • Europa Universalis IV: Rights of Man
  • Stellaris: Digital Anniversary Edition
  • Stellaris: Leviathans Story Pack
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Together for Victory
  • Crusader Kings II: Monks and Mystics
  • Stellaris - Path to Destruction bundle
  • Europa Universalis IV: Mandate of Heaven
  • Europa Universalis IV: Third Rome
  • Hearts of Iron 4: Arms Against Tyranny
  • Europa Universalis IV: Art of War
  • Crusader Kings II: Charlemagne
  • Crusader Kings II: Legacy of Rome
  • Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods
  • Crusader Kings II: Rajas of India
  • Crusader Kings II: The Republic
  • Crusader Kings II: Sons of Abraham
  • Crusader Kings II: Sunset Invasion
  • Crusader Kings II: Sword of Islam
  • Darkest Hour
  • Europa Universalis III
  • Divine Wind
  • Europa Universalis IV
  • Crusader Kings II
  • Europa Universalis IV: Conquest of Paradise
  • Europa Universalis IV: Wealth of Nations
  • Heir to the Throne
  • Europa Universalis III Complete
  • Europa Universalis III Complete
  • Europa Universalis IV: Res Publica
  • Victoria 2
  • Victoria 2: A House Divided
  • Victoria 2: Heart of Darkness
  • 500k Club
Hello, and welcome to my new AAR!

This is played with Miscmods v0.799 in the Dark Continent scenario. I have also made a few changes myself, the foremost of which is a major nerf to the neo-European nations which I will go into if and when it becomes relevant.

For the moment, the only rule I have in place for myself is: don't be gamey.

The first chapter will be uploaded later, mostly to avoid complaints about too many images or whatever, so for now here is the prologue. Enjoy!


Prologue

UUAXl.jpg

A group of pre-Fleet Inuit fishers

Somewhere off the coast of Labrador
1399 OEC (Old European Calendar)


The sea was silent as the pair of kayaks drifted. A sudden fog had descended upon as they headed out to hunt and now the two men waited for it to lift so they could continue or make their way back to shore.

“Something doesn’t feel right,” one of them finally said.

“I think you’re right, Natar,” the other responded after a few moments. The fog was unnaturally thick. Surely spirits had set it upon them to lead them astray and to their graves.

They continued floating for what seemed like an eternity before Natar spoke up again.

“Aua, I think I see something out there!” he called out, before beginning to paddle his kayak around towards what he had seen. The dark item drifted just as aimlessly as they had but as he approached it began to become clearer. “By the spirits…”

Bleached white bones lay scattered across driftwood among what appeared to be ash or some other darkened powder. A knife lay underneath the neck of skeleton and the jaw seemed displaced as though screaming out. The wood under its hands was scratched into patterns that he had no chance of recognising.

“Get away from it!” Aua said as he paddled over. If it was a previous victim he wanted nothing to do with it.

As he passed by his companion and the debris there was a bump on the side of his kayak. He peeked over the side. What he saw made him jerk his head back and begin paddling as fast as he could. Alongside him was an ocean of gulls, or more accurately their skeletons, all bleached and fleshless. It was as if something had stripped every piece of muscle, fat and skin from those upon the sea. They would be next, he was certain of it!

“Where are you going, we don’t know the way out!” Natar shouted after him as he paddled with all his strength away from the watery graveyard. Natar began to follow Aua and continued shouting to calm him down when suddenly the fog beside him turned deep black. He turned to look, and it almost cost him his life.

yt4Py.jpg

A ship of the Last Fleet

The massive wooden structure burst from the fog and just barely scraped the edge of the kayak. He held on for dear life as it swayed and threatened to tip him into the death waters around him. As he frantically put distance between himself and the ship he noticed its dereliction. The wood was rotten and close to falling and the sails billowed uselessly as the wind rushed through the many holes. Draped from the many windows in the side of the boat and over the tops were countless skeletons just like the ones he had seen.

A ghost ship. Terrifying enough for a European sailor, but for a man who had never seen a ship as large of this it was far, far more so. Natar practically screamed out as he paddled after Aua. The spirits were here for his flesh and would take his remains away in their floating charnel house.

The next hour was a blur of panic and paddling, but by the time Natar came to his senses he felt his body being pulled. He panicked for a moment, thinking he had been caught, but then the fog lifted for a moment and he found it was Aua pulling him from his kayak onto the safety of a beach.

“What kind of spirits were those?” Aua said as he gasped for breath.

“That body, maybe it was trying to warn us,” Natar said under his breath as he shook with fear. The fog was still dense out at sea, and for all he knew the ghost ship could be heading straight towards them.

“What did it say?” Aua asked. He hadn’t got a good look at it, but if it revealed an important clue to their situation he was more than willing to accept its advice.

“I don’t know…the symbols were strange. I’ve never seen anything like them,” Natar kept one eye on the ocean as he started to draw out what he had seen the sand.

E
U
R
O
P
E

I
S

D
E
A
D

“I don’t get it,” Aua said. It was nonsense as far as he was concerned.

“I don’t get it either,” Natar started to say, “but it feels like…”

As he spoke, a great wind blew across the sea and parted the fog. Out upon the sea lay a dozen more enormous but lifeless ships like the one he had encountered.

“…something has changed.”

Pfd9j.jpg

Europe following the Ashen Death, late 14th Century OEC

Go with the Floe: An Inuit Dark Continent AAR
 
xbriannova: Thanks!

Encyclopaedia Djata Entry
The Ashen Death


The Ashen Death, formally known as the Necrotic Plague, was a pandemic that spread across the continent of Europe in the late 14th Century OEC (8th Century AH).

It was a mutated version of the Bubonic Plague, the source of the Black Death that had already afflicted the Middle East and Africa. The exact source of the Necrotic Plague is unknown; however scientists believe that it originated in Istanbul or another major Mediterranean trading centre as the first cases were reported in cities around the Italian, Spanish and French Mediterranean coasts almost simultaneously.

Carriers of the disease were not symptomatic until reaching advanced stages of the disease, at which point there was little that could be done for them. It would begin with the necrotizing of extremities such as fingers, toes and the nose. However the disease would not stop there and the rotting would spread deeper into the body. Death came with days from organ failure or blood poisoning. The term Ashen Death came from the appearance that flesh would turn to powder as it died and came off the body.

Mortality rates were 99% and only the relatively long incubation period prevented the disease from burning itself out immediately. Because the Europeans had no idea that the Plague was carried by rats their quarantine procedures were insufficient and inevitably the plague spread across all but the most remote regions of the continent, depopulating them and reducing the survivors to savagery.

However the disease was a victim of its own success. After wiping out most human life it began to mutate to jump to other species, mostly omnipresent pests such as the very rats that carried it. As these species did not travel as far as humans, and the similar Bubonic Plague had already ravaged and granted immunity to the people on boundaries of Europe there was nowhere for it go and it became extinct.

Historians point to the Ashen Death as one of the most defining events of recorded history. Who could imagine how history would have transpired if old Europe had survived?

Go with the Floe: An Inuit Dark Continent AAR
Chapter One

XeOuk.jpg

The lands of the Inuit, 1399

“This meeting will be called to order!”

The old man at the centre of the room slammed his staff onto the floor, sending echoes through the large wooden hut. The chattering chieftains sat around him quieted their voices to hear the elder out.

“I know that you are all eager to discuss the ghost ships that are washing up upon our shores but protocol must be followed,” the elder said. “The death of the previous High Chieftain means that we must select a successor from among you to lead the tribes in these troubling times.”

“I nominate Attuiock of Labrador!” one of the men called out almost immediately. Agreeing murmurs went around the circle very quickly.

“Yes, most of the ghost fleet arrived on his shores. He should be put in charge to organise the information we get from them,” another said. Far from the superstitious fishermen that first sighted the strange craft, most of the tribal leaders were far more interested in practicality. Whether they were wiped out by disease or a curse of the spirits, the builders of those mighty ships that could cross the ocean must have been very advanced. There was much to be learned from them with just a little bit of caution.

“I accept the nomination,” one chieftain finally said as the vote steadily came closer to unanimous. He stood up and bowed before the elder with a slight smile on his face. The elder paused for a moment as he was concerned that the proper procedure of an official vote was not followed, but the pressure from the rest of the meeting made him relent. He gave the man the blessing of the spirits and handed him the ceremonial staff that would mark his new position. The man arose as Attuiock I, High Chieftain of the Inuit Tribes, and soon he would shape the flow of history.

lIcua.jpg

During the pre-Fleet era the Inuit Tribes were highly decentralized and moderately permissive, with an economy based around fishing and trade.

kakaT.jpg

Attuiock continued his predecessor’s policies of freedom of movement. While this reduced his control over the populace, it allowed the economy to operate freely as fishermen could seek the richest fishing grounds.

Fh8Vu.jpg

The Inuit economy, like most on the continent, was considered ‘natural’ with more focus on bartering and local distribution of goods.

Attuiock was a forward thinker, and he knew that something was changing in the world. He could not sit idly by and watch the Tribes live through the peace and prosperity they normally enjoyed. For years they had enjoyed good relations but limited interaction with the Anishinaabe tribes to the south and only had tentative connections with those even further. It was time to change that.

“My friend, welcome to my home,” the Anishinaabe Chieftain of Moose Cree said with his arms extended warmly. Attuiock returned the man’s hug and then sat down across from him.

“I accept the welcome of the Moose Cree tribe,” he said. Moose Cree was the main point of interaction between the Inuit and Anishinaabe so it was natural to come here rather than travel further south where he might not be so welcome.

“So what brings you here? I have heard rumours about spirit ships on your shores,” the chieftain said. He smoked from a pipe, and then passed it over to Attuiock.

“Those rumours are correct. We have received a divine gift. These ships will teach us many things, and I am willing to trade some of those secrets with our friends the Anishinaabe,” Attuiock said after taking a breath from the pipe himself. “In return, I would like an alliance that will bring our people closer together and, to be blunt, help guard our backs from those who would steal the knowledge.”

“That’s an intriguing proposition,” the chieftain said as he blew smoke rings, “but I should let you know that I have heard of more ships appearing on the shores of tribes further to the south. You may not have heard of the Lenape and Creek tribes, but I believe you will soon.”

Attuiock suddenly started coughing. He had been in the middle of puffing on the pipe when the revelation came. More ships? His planned monopoly on the knowledge of the dead had suddenly come crashing down.

“Don’t get so worked up,” the chieftain continued with suppressed laughter, “it was just some advice. We have too many enemies in the south to allow the knowledge to come up through them. I believe the High Chieftain will agree with me and trust our Inuit friends more.”

The Inuit leader sighed in relief; the alliance had probably been secured. However, the knowledge that there were more ships still troubled him. He had to know what was happening in the south.

VyDJH.jpg

The Anishinaabe-Inuit alliance, for all of its later troubles, was one of the key parts of Attuiock’s plan to secure his people’s place in the coming new world.

mCK10.jpg

There was also an expedition into Anishinaabe territory commanded by the Chieftain of the Attawapiskat Tribe, Enuk Aglukkaq, who was famous for his skill in unknown terrain. The travelled south and discovered many great lakes, as well as the tribes who dwelled on their shores.

m2uOU.jpg

As per the alliance, they assisted the Anishinaabe High Chieftain in dealing with rebellious tribes while they explored.

A cold wind blew off from the eastern ocean as Attuiock and his mean slowly scaled the side of massive beached vessel. The ghost fleet had come ashore years ago, but nobody was willing to enter those skeleton-filled husks especially after hearing about the seas of gulls which died scavenging from them. Even a man as pragmatic as Attuiock did not want to drive men into such a cursed place. It took the appearance of healthy birds and other scavengers emerging safely to finally convince people it was safe.

“This is still a bad idea,” one of the men muttered.

“The spirits have lifted their curse from this place. All aboard may have died, but the birds tell that newcomers are safe,” Attuiock shouted across the group. He didn’t want anyone to back down now, not when they were so close.

“By the spirits...” the nimblest of the team had reached the top first and pulled himself up onto the deck, only to be struck dumb by what he saw.

“What is it?” Attuiock said as he caught up. He didn’t say anything else for a while after that. Upon deck were mounds of human bones and ash, blown by the wind and moved by the rocking of the ship into large piles scattered across the deck. On top of that, in every nook and cranny and strewn everywhere were the skeletal remains of vermin that had come along for the ride. The only life was a handful of birds which were poking at the piles of death in an effort to find something edible.

The group moved slowly and in silence. After scaring off the birds the only sound was the disturbing crunch of rat bones underfoot. Exploring the ship fully took hour, as each room was just as terrifying as the deck and the men had to recover after seeing each set of remains that had once been one, or many, people. Finally however they came to a lower deck filled with sealed boxes. After taking an axe to one of the boxes, Attuiock pulled out what was inside. It was a strange object, sort of like if several incredibly thin sheets of wood had been stuck together. On it was the same strange script that other explorers had reported seeing.

“Look at this one, chief,” one of the men said.

Attuiock took it and flicked through. Instead of unreadable words, this one showed images. It appeared to be men tending to animals and doing something with the land. Were they pulling a piece of metal through the soil to break it up? On another page was a drawing of a large stone structure that seemed to be carrying water. He continued looking through and almost every page showed some kind of device or construction that he had no idea was possible. It was exactly what he had been looking for.

“We’re taking these. Get ready to leave,” he said with a grin.

TZHE2.jpg

Attuiock used his knowledge to begin establishing agriculture in some of the more fertile regions of Inuit lands. While there was some resistance, many people were happy to have a source of food that was not dependant on fishing as much. Some were even so gripped with fever for advancement that they took off on their own. Attuiock wished them luck then took their lands to further his reforms. Historians are divided on whether the reports of a fur-wearing man in Timbuktu are accurate.

zVI2J.jpg

War was a common feature in the tribes around the Great Lakes. Inuit remained outside of most of the conflicts as they only allied with Anishinaabe.

41cys.jpg

The growth of cities as a result of the new agricultural paradigm was leading to a shift in Inuit culture. People began to look toward the advancement of technology as they no longer had to focus as much on looking after their food supply.

lrkx6.jpg

The decisive breakthrough of the era was the deciphering of the script that the books on board the Last Fleet used in 1405. A wealth of knowledge was now open to the Inuit Tribes.

To be continued...
 
Subscribed,keep up the good job!
 
Looks interesting and I like the style *Subscribes*
 
videonfan, Prawnstar: Thanks!
Omen: It's part of the mod, designed to get the native americans up close to parity with the rest of the world. The winds of change event only takes them up to 70% tech speed though, and 100% comes later so the Old World still has a little bit of an advantage as events have boosted them all up to 100% by now.
 
I've not seen this mod too much -- is Europe colonizable, or will events lead to new European nations?
 
I've not seen this mod too much -- is Europe colonizable, or will events lead to new European nations?
Europe is colonizable,but there are some surviving OPMs in Europe,although I think he's removed them.
 
Tufto, Aliasing: Thanks!
Avindian. AwesomeSauce123: The empty Europe picture is edited for the sake of the impact of an empty Europe. The normal surviving OPMs and neo-European nations are still there.
Director: Thank you!

I had hoped to get the second chapter out today, but it turns out I'll be far too busy. Hopefully it'll be up tomorrow.
 
Good luck with it i hope this is as good as your other AARs and even better ;)
 
Avindian. AwesomeSauce123: The empty Europe picture is edited for the sake of the impact of an empty Europe. The normal surviving OPMs and neo-European nations are still there.
Oh I see,thanks for clearing that up.
 
Just to pre-empt any questions about why I don’t colonise, I was poking through the event files for this scenario and I only just noticed that I don’t lose tribal government and become able to colonise until a bit later.

Encyclopaedia Djata Entry
The Last Fleet


The Last Fleet was a joint venture by a coalition of British and Scandinavian nobility and merchants to flee the dying Europe. Reports from the continent had told of the near-100% mortality rate of the Ashen Death and this spurred a few key figures into action.

The exact sponsors of the Fleet are unknown, but the general plan they had has been uncovered by researchers studying the documents uncovered in the west. The British approached the Scandinavian nations asking for information on the rumoured land of Vinland far to the west. They were willing to launch an evacuation of everyone they could to build a new civilization across the sea. In the end they were able to assemble not only the full fleets of the British Isles and Scandinavia but countless other French, Dutch and German refugee flotillas who all sought to escape the onslaught.

A quarantine procedure, one of the most sophisticated of its time, was put in place for all potential members of the Fleet. No one, not even high nobility, was allowed on board the ships without spending two weeks locked away to check for symptoms of the Ashen Death.

Along with around thirty thousand people, the Fleet took countless parchments and other records that they believed they would need to organise their new home in Vinland as well as two of every animal they could get their hands on. The latter is believed to be an attempt to emulate the Ark of biblical fame, as many recovered sources named the Ashen Death as God’s wrath akin to the Great Flood.

By the time the Last Fleet finally set off there were no more coherent nations left in Europe besides a few hanging on to the isolated boundaries. It marked the final act of Old Europe, its last desperate attempt to escape its fate. However it too was doomed. The quarantine procedures did not account for the fact that the Ashen Death was carried by the fleas of rats. They snuck aboard the ships as they were loaded and spread the disease to the escapees. The Last Fleet never made it to Vinland proper. By the time it was sighted by the Inuit and others, all aboard were dead by plague or suicide. Having drifted without steering for weeks or months, the Last Fleet was scattered all across the eastern coast for the natives to find.

See also: the Algarve Expedition, a similar but slightly earlier Portuguese venture. It aimed to travel south along the African Coast until a place free of plague could be found, but it met the same fate and ultimately drifted across the Atlantic to Amazonia and the Carib Sea.

Go with the Floe: An Inuit Dark Continent AAR
Chapter Two

E1tRi.jpg

The early 15th Century saw the Inuit advance rapidly

FiGDx.jpg

The introduction of an agricultural economy saw the adoption of currency and increased cooperation between the isolated tribes. The transformation was not without its problems.

The cart was tipped over and its content scattered across the ground. Its owner frantically grabbed at the fish in an effort to save his only livelihood. Stood over him was the person responsible, a young man sharply dressed in the finest furs. He looked disdainfully at the fisherman as he scrambled around on the floor.

“I wanted payment for your new fishing boats, and this is what you bring me?” he said. He motioned for his pair of goons to back off a little while he awaited a response.

“Please, it’s all I have,” Natar said as he tried to keep from crying while picking up his catch. The blood, sweat and tears it had taken to collect this many fish, had it been for nothing?

“What can I do with fish? My stocks are full, and there are so many of the things in the market that I can’t even sell them. Try and get with the times, old man!” the young man started to raise his voice. He was one of a new generation of entrepreneurs inspired by tales of commerce from across the ocean, and seeing people stuck in the old ways really pissed him off.

The commotion was starting to attract attention, which was quite a feat in a place as filled with similar tumult as Innu, the central hub for trade for the entire north-eastern coast. The carpenters working on the new roof were slacking off and watching from above while foreign merchants from as far south as Delaware looked on with interest at Inuit troubles.

“Please…” Natar said. He finished loading his fish back into the cart and practically got on his knees.

“Go and open a stall and hope they don’t rot before you can sell them,” the merchant said, “I won’t allow you to take your boat until you bring me some real money.” With a wave of his hand he dismissed the fisherman and turned to leave with his men.

“Is there a problem?”

As he turned the merchant almost ran straight into a large man enshrouded in a massive fur robe. Countless adornments hung from the luxurious coat and under the fur was a face many had come to recognise as the tribes intermingled more in the capital.

“High Chieftan!” the merchant exclaimed.

At this the noise of the market immediately died down and every Inuit nearby supplicated themselves. They all owned their newfound prosperity to this man, Attuiock the Shaper.

“I am in need of fish for a feast later today, I believe I will buy this man’s stock,” Attuiock said. He waved at some of his own men, who took the cart from a stunned Natar. “Will this be enough?” he asked as he took out some of the new pressed silver that was being used as a currency.

“I-I believe so,” the merchant said as he took the money. He quickly bowed and took off with his men.

“Thank you, High Chieftan,” Natar finally managed to get out after it was all already over.

“Do not mention it; I am always happy to help a man of my own tribe.” Attuiock said as he stood before the man. “I will not be able to bail out people forever though. Please, start to take notice of the changing times.”

Natar looked up at the High Chieftan and nodded. It probably was his fault. But still, for trade to have changed so drastically in his lifetime was throwing him, and countless others off. It was making him feel that he should never have discovered the Last Fleet.

“I will try,” he said. However the concern in his eyes must have been plainly available as the High Chieftan continued to offer encouragement.

“Do not fear. I will build up the Inuit nation until we all can profit from the new way of life. Building a marketplace for you in Labrador will be one of my priorities. It might seem like bias to the others, but I think favouring your own tribe is one tradition the chieftains will never drop.” Attuiock laughed as he started to walk away.

Behind him one of his men was calculating on something called an abacus that had been recovered from the Last Fleet. Once he was done he gave a few pieces of silver to Natar, the profit left over after the price of the ship had been paid for. Looking at his new wealth, Natar started to think that perhaps things would turn out all right after all.

CZE2P.jpg

One of Attuiock’s directives was the construction of ships to maintain control of the burgeoning trade around the Inuit coastline.

KK3wx.jpg

Attuiock’s first war was a conflict between his newest allies the Huron and the Iroquois Confederacy. The campaign was entirely conducted by Enuk Alukkaq’s army, which was in the area after being driven away from the coast by local tribes.

PVRkz.jpg

During the campaign, Enuk lay siege to the Iroqouis capital. The city was fortified

s9udg.png

An Iroquois fort. Image made in the 16th Century so some ahistorical elements present..

Another volley of arrows sent the defenders scurrying behind their walls to safety. The shots embedded harmlessly into the wood of the stockade and left the Iroquois free to return fire at the forces surrounding the city.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Enuk surname said as he watched his forces take a counter barrage of arrows from the defenders. He had seen earthworks and limited stockades guarding key areas in his travels, but never a fort capable of guarding an entire city.

“We are lucky we arrived when we did,” one of his subordinates said.

He pointed at the scaffolding around stone towers at the edges of the stockade. It appeared that the Iroquois were reinforcing their walls with stone, and would have finished the first stage in a few months. As it was they had to fall back to their stockade, but it was still enough to hold back the depleted and far from home Inuit.

“It does not matter, we only need to keep their capital from supporting the rest of the army while the Huron take the remainder of their territory,” Enuk said. He had no intention of letting his army get wasted in some foolish assault when he still had work to do here in the south. The Huron had practically drafted him in while stating his apparent treaty obligations.

“And if the Iroquois come to lift the siege?” the subordinate asked.

“We run, of course,” Enuk said with a chuckle. He was doing his bit in this war while the rest was the Huron’s mess. If it came to it he’d rather risk the alliance than the lives of his men. The things he was learning from the Iroquois defenders would be invaluable knowledge for Attuiock, but someone would have to come home alive to tell him about it.

“Here there come!” a shout rang out from a band of warriors off to the flank. The defenders were making another attempt to break out. To make matters worse they were deploying ranks of spearmen who were very effective at driving through the looser and less disciplined Inuit clubmen.

“West Cree band, go to them,” Enuk ordered one of his subordinates. The man nodded and led his men to take on the Iroquois from the flank and drive them back into the city. The siege would continue as long as it took. And once it was over, he would ensure that any Inuit city could hold out just as long.

TCK88.jpg

The Huron won a great victory over the Iroquois. However, the Iroquois still held a swathe of territory they had taken from the Lenape tribes.

ggYDN.jpg

Enuk returned to Inuit lands with tales of what he had seen in battle. The ways of war were changing. Attuiock ordered forts established in the style of those to the south.

0XDXr.jpg

By the 1420s the Inuit had reached a technology level on par with the old nations of Europe. While they had nothing left to learn from the Last Fleet, the cultural changes it had bought meant that they would continue seeking new knowledge.

“We give their remains to the deepest sea so that they may finally rest. The spirits will take their souls from where they have been trapped into eternal slumber.”

With a shout, the congregation heaved the last beached ship out onto the water. The patches held up and it floated silently away from the shoreline to join its fellows.

“The Ashen Death has taken them, but their sacrifice has not gone unnoticed.”

An incredibly long rope lay stretched across the entire fleet before finally being tied to a stone structure on the shore. One man approached it with a lit torch.

“In death they have given us prosperity and advancement that our forefathers could not have dreamt of.”

The torch touched the rope and it immediately burst into flame, having been smothered in flammable liquids. The fire shot up the rope and onto the ships.

“And now that they have passed on their knowledge, we will pass on our ways to aid them. Their spirits will be released from the ash and scattered into the seas by fire.”

In the distance flames burst into the sky. One by one the ships disappeared into a fierce orange glow that lit up the horizon. A wind whipped up as if a message from the spirits themselves. Inside the glow clouds of ash could be seen blowing out beyond the bay and into the Atlantic.

“To the last survivors of Europe, in acknowledgement of your lives and your deaths, we will spread your Ashen Memory across the ocean. I wish you blessings in the next life.”

Attuiock placed down the parchment he had written his speech on. He had no idea if he had pronounced words he had picked up from the books like ‘Europe’ and ‘Ashen Death’ correctly, but it was the thought that mattered. He sat down with the rest of his tribe and watched as the Last Fleet sunk. It was not just a funeral for the bodies they had recovered. It was a funeral for Europe. By all accounts recovered, the Last Fleet had left a continent that was dead or dying. He had no idea if there was anyone else left in the world that would be able to acknowledge their passing.

jp05R.jpg

An Ashen Memory ceremony, present day. The funeral given to the Last Fleet eventually became an Inuit tradition remembering the victims of the Ashen Death that is practised to this day.

h1IJE.jpg

The infrastructure of the nation was Attuiock’s top priority. Once the lands were fortified he ordered proper tax collectors established. The first one was built in the capital to police the large number of merchants passing through.

baWx7.jpg

While there was initially protest against tax collection, the merchants were placated as Attuiock started to invest in marketplaces for them. They even added their own funds to construction efforts.

uOskh.jpg

Attuiock spent almost the entire Inuit treasury on infrastructure, which meant that when there was a fur crisis that required him to bail out the local economy it forced him to start taking loans. This was compounded by the minting of new silver to support his efforts, which was devaluing the currency.

2MLAM.jpg

He began to realise that he was not capable of managing the new economy alone. He officially established a central bank and put one of his most skilled accountants, Hallow Tungilik, in charge.

bxXXR.jpg

The Huron continued to get involved in wars to the south while Inuit eyes were focused inwards. As they advanced they became more and more powerful. If it continued they would become the strongest nation on the continent.

The towns of the Moose Cree tribe were in an uproar as Attuiock passed through them on the way to the chieftain’s cabin. He carefully walked with his entourage as people carried crops and belongings and packed them away all around him. Even the chieftain seemed to be in a rush as he was ordering his men around. Attuiock approached him and offered his hand.

“Not now, Inuit,” the chieftain snapped. It appeared he was in no mood for diplomacy.

“What’s going on here?” Attuiock asked. This was the regular diplomatic meeting with his link to the Anishinaabe and now he was being snubbed.

“We are heading to a refuge inside neutral Cree territory to the east,” the leader said. He continued to point his men at whatever he wanted them to take with them.

“Why?” Attuiock continued to press the issue. He hadn’t really been focused on international events recently.

“While you’ve been busy ignoring your allies, they’ve gotten a little bold.” The chieftain spun around and let Attuiock see the fear in his eyes. “The Huron are coming!”

TkjxY.jpg

Huron territory by 1430.

To be continued…
 
Oh wow, this is really well written, and I don't believe I've ever seen a miscmods American let's play. I am now subscribing and I hope my words will encourage you to keep on playing and writing!