The Hall of Glass - A DW Narrative AAR

[gela1212]

Hi, many of you may know me already. I'm Gela, and I've written a guide and a narrative/history book style AAR that were both successful, amongst many other projects.

What I think I want to do here is make something more epic, and less focused on a nation or perhaps even a particular game, but rather on EU3 as a whole, all strung together by narrative elements. Maybe that's a horrid idea, but I really wanted to test my writing skills (if you don't know me well, my eventual ambition is to be a published author) on something that I wasn't entirely comfortable with. So, if you want to grab some popcorn and strap yourself in, I think we'll begin with an incredibly short sampling of what I'd like to call the "nexus" of events, where our forays into the game will launch from, and introduce everyone to the "main character" (though I tend to dislike that term as I prefer to have several protagonists). A "real" update will be posted shortly, while I figure out exactly how this is going to work.

* * *

Her eyes looked over what lay before her, slowly taking in every lovely detail of the scene. The painting, depicting a skirmish by Russia’s Don River, seemed somewhat insignificant to almost everyone who passed by it every day in the gallery. It wasn’t a particularly great piece of art — it was good, yes, but not amazing — but that wasn’t what drew Sarai to it. No, it was the event depicted. In the actual battle, a small force of three thousand soldiers clashed against another small army just after it crossed the river. Absolutely nothing of importance came from that battle, besides about a thousand less men on either side, but it would change history forever.

Why? Simple. The commander of Novgorod’s forces, at that time a young boy of eighteen, was forever changed by the violence and destruction he saw there. Usually, such an event makes people stop romanticizing warfare, but this boy.. He relished it. He would go on to begin the formation of the massive Novgorodian Empire that now dominated most of Asia and Eastern Europe. Walking away from the painting, Sarai shook her head. No one realized how much individual people changed history. It wasn’t nations or societies. No… it was the individuals, their experiences, and their interactions that shaped everything that happened.

This gallery… it held so many reflections into the past. Paintings, yes, but also mirrors.

[Saulta]

This will be interesting =)

[Dari L. Benetka]

Very interesting idea, I'll be following. Good luck!

[Rauchen]

*sees new Gela AAR*
*sees "Narrative" in title*
*Instantly Subscribed*

Looking forward to this.

[Ashantai]

This looks very interesting indeed. It's a theme I've thought of doing, and I think this looks great. Will be following it eagerly!

[gela1212]

This will be interesting =)

I certainly hope so!

Very interesting idea, I'll be following. Good luck!

Thanks, and glad to have you aboard!

*sees new Gela AAR*
*sees "Narrative" in title*
*Instantly Subscribed*

Looking forward to this.

Whoop whoop, I have myself a fan! Great to have you here!

This looks very interesting indeed. It's a theme I've thought of doing, and I think this looks great. Will be following it eagerly!

As always, my friend, I hope you enjoy.

[gela1212]

Sarai stood at the front of her class, gesturing to the board behind her. As a citizen of the Aragonese Empire, she was fortunate to live in a country with an education system that wasn’t manipulated by the government. Her class was all about the practical applications of history at a mildly prestigious university in Valencia. The viewpoint she decided to tackle the subject from was simple: small events trigger larger ones, which trigger even larger ones, until the entire world has been changed because a farmer in Hungary fed his animals less than he should have.

“So, my dearest children, let me ask you a simple question: Who here has heard of the Great Iberian Campaign?” Every single person raised their hand. Of course they did. Simple stuff, third grade history. “Now tell me, oh beloved ones,” she said with a smirk, circling around the desk. She had only been teaching for a few years, but already she felt completely confident in her delivery. “What do you think caused the Aragonese victory?”

One of the socialites in the front row, who also doubled as the token smart person who overestimates themselves, raised her hand. With a grand gesture, Sarai motioned for the girl to answer. “Superior wealth and military forces, Castile really had no chance.” Some of the other students nodded their heads. Shaking her head, Sarai chuckled slightly.

“This is history class, children, not propaganda class.” In elementary school, where these kids most likely first and last heard of the campaign, of course the teachers were going to talk about the proud and mighty Catalans. Couldn’t have a generation growing up without believing in the might of Aragon, otherwise they might not be fully confident to vote for pro-war candidates, god forbid! Of course, no one was going to go to war with Novgorod or Bavaria, no matter how big they talked during elections, and skirmishes with England rarely led to anything, so she supposed it didn’t hurt.

Putting her marker down, Sarai pulled down a map and grabbed a pointer from the wall. “Alright then, story time. Let’s see talk about what happens if we change the course of history just slightly.” The children all groaned. Telling them a story made them feel demeaned. Ah well, they’d get used to it. Sarai swung her pointer onto the map, tapping a part of the Iberian Peninsula known as Barcelona.

* * *
Barcelona, Aragon
1399

Bartomeu Abela walked into the throne room in full armor, and knelt before his ruler, the King of Aragon, Marti d’Arago.
“You called for me, my Lord?” The King stared directly at him, his piercing brown eyes seeming to dissect the man kneeling in front of him, one of those he had entrusted with his campaign against Castile. “Bartomeu, there has been a… change of plans.”

"What do you mean?" he asked. That phrase could be many things. "We have discussed many things about the war with Castile, but one of my advisers has told me something very... interesting. I cannot ignore her without giving her time to give me evidence. As such, instead of moving out immediately after the first advance, your slightly unorthodox tactics will be reserved for later. Possibly after we have made some headway into Castile."

"But, my Lord, without a secondary force to cut off reinforcem--" Bartomeu tried to argue, but was cut off. "No, my decision is final. You will remain in Barcelona until I allow you to move out. However, with most of the generals leaving, you won't be doing nothing. I shall have you advise me on matters of this war."

The man hung his head in defeat. Those generals of yours are all old idiots who can't see anything besides head on engagements... he thought viciously. Taking a deep breath, he stood and bowed. "I will follow your every command, my Lord."

[Dari L. Benetka]

So Sarai is a history teacher, and this aar is a history lesson with time-travel effects for us students? I think I didn't undestand anything well done thus far, I'm caught, waiting for the next chapter to know more

[loki100]

intriguing start & a nice foreshadowing of the world at the end of the game too.

If you want a bit of critical feedback - prune the adjectives till you are using only the ones that really tell us what matters. I realise I am often guilty of embedding subordinate clauses in subordinate clauses so in a way I'm the last one with the right to say that. But it will make it tighter and thus improve the flow.

[Ashantai]

Very nicely written! I love the classroom scene. I eagerly anticipate more.

[gela1212]

Very nicely written! I love the classroom scene. I eagerly anticipate more.

Thanks! Sarai is a bit easier to write for me, not living in the past and all, haha.

intriguing start & a nice foreshadowing of the world at the end of the game too.

If you want a bit of critical feedback - prune the adjectives till you are using only the ones that really tell us what matters. I realise I am often guilty of embedding subordinate clauses in subordinate clauses so in a way I'm the last one with the right to say that. But it will make it tighter and thus improve the flow.

Thanks! Yeah, I'm very guilty of that in everything I write. I used to have a problem with not using any adjectives at all, so I swung myself in the other direction. Better, but I do agree that I need to cut down on them. I'm working on it, I suppose. :P

So Sarai is a history teacher, and this aar is a history lesson with time-travel effects for us students? I think I didn't undestand anything well done thus far, I'm caught, waiting for the next chapter to know more

Aha! Interpret it how you will I think you'll understand more in the coming chapters.

Thanks for all your comments guys! Support makes everything easier. I'll start the next update when I get back from Pennsylvania.

[Rauchen]

Now, this is an interesting idea. Fresh, too. Looking forward to seeing how this goes.

[KaiserMuffin]

Watching.

[gela1212]

Now, this is an interesting idea. Fresh, too. Looking forward to seeing how this goes.

Thank you! I thought it was, haha. A bit more original than anything I've tried before.

Watching.

Thanks! Glad to have you aboard. I'll try not to disappoint.

[gela1212]

Sofia Agosti was what some called an assassin, what others called a spy, and what the informed called both. She, on the other hand, preferred to call herself by the name "unorthodox soldier". She didn't exactly work for anyone in particular, but if a king or noble had the right connections and the right amount of gold, Sofia could help along their goals. At the moment, she was walking down a corridor in the royal palace in Barcelona, a place she had been many times when she had started her work five years ago and cut her teeth on jobs from the Aragonese nobility. At this time of night, not even servants stalked these halls. She was in no danger of being discovered unless something happened to wake everyone up, in which case she had plenty of opportunity to leave quickly and quietly. There was one person, however, that Sofia knew would still remain awake, sitting up by a candle and reading some document or book.

Ducking down a side hall, she slowly opened a door and closed it, knocking on the wall as she entered. "Hello, Bartomeu," Sofia said, containing a smirk as she watched his attention rapidly shift from the parchment in front of him to the woman in his doorway. His look of stoicism quickly changed into one of shock, then curiosity. "Who exactly are you?" he said with a soft voice, not wanting to awake those staying in rooms adjacent to his own. Although most of his armor and weaponry had, logically, been put in the armory for the duration of Bartomeu's stay in Barcelona as a "military advisor", he did have one knife lying on his desk, and moved his hand over to the left to grab it, not taking his eyes off the woman.

When he couldn't find it, the man looked down. The small blade was gone. He looked around a bit, then moved his focus back to Sofia. She was wagging the knife in front of him like a treat for a well-behaved animal. Taking nearby weapons out of reach before the target noticed was something that was second nature to the Catalan woman, though she had actually almost missed the blade, distracted by her satisfaction at how perfectly this situation had fallen into her lap.

It had happened a week ago, when the King of Castile set up an appoint with Sofia in a back street of Toledo, sending one of his trusted messengers to hire "Matri", the alias Sofia gave to her employers. Her goal was simple, sabotage the entire Aragonese war effort to allow the Castillians an uneventful invasion of Granada. Obviously an easy task, she thought with sarcasm while recalling the story. A limited amount of intelligence information was available, the kind of thing Sofia herself could figure out after a few days in a new city, let alone Barcelona. Most of the Aragonese generals were old, their tactics being mainly along the lines of "throw the men at the enemy until one of us dies". Bartomeu Abela was a young, progressive man who the Castilian spies were sure was the only large threat from the nation's eastern neighbor.

She was given no specific steps, only information, and a result that was absolutely necessary. An environment that she worked best in, considering most times the nobility was too stupid or misinformed to know how to carry out their own plan. After arriving in Barcelona two months or so later, she spent some time gathering intelligence before deciding on the first necessary objective. Remove Bartomeu Abela from the initial invasion. There was simply not enough time to get to him during the few days he would remain in the city. A few forgeries, mysterious tips left to captains and guards, and a favor or two secured that easily, as Marti d'Arago happened to possess the lovely personality blend of extreme naivete with extreme suspicion of his own court and allies.

Then, the first commanders had moved out to gather their armies and talk strategy (talks which would inevitably reach the same conclusion they had all gone in with) in Valencia. This created a window of time where the capital wouldn't be busy, Bartomeu would still be annoyed at his removal from the invasion, and when the man would not yet be consulting with the king on matters of the war.

"Who am I? Oh, dearest Bartomeu, you may call me.. Alicia. Now then, we're going to have a little talk, my friend."

[Ashantai]

Very nice! 'Unorthodox Soldier' is an excellent term! Enjoyable update, but I am interested to see more!

[gela1212]

Very nice! 'Unorthodox Soldier' is an excellent term! Enjoyable update, but I am interested to see more!

Thanks! I thought so too, haha.

Next update in the process of being written!

[gela1212]

Sarai stood in the doorway of her home, having just opened the door, and blankly stared inside. It was empty. Not of possessions, no, everything was perfectly intact and present. But once again, she realized the loneliness that she faced every day as she stared into the lack of others in the room. At work, teaching the children, it wasn't so obvious. She was surrounded by people, and she had something to focus her mind on. However, Sarai wasn't friends with any of them. Only six years older than the average attendee and yet she felt so isolated and closed off from them, too different.

Shaking her head, the woman walked inside and slammed the door shut, dropping her keys on the table by the entrance. Sitting down on a chair in the corner, she laid her head back, thinking of all the people whose memories were locked in the past. "The stories will never leave me..." she said, as she felt herself beginning to break down after days of holding it in, letting the emotions rush to the surface.

That was her life's quest, to understand those people who had affected the past, to be the vanguard of their stories, wasn't it? She let herself get lost in thoughts of long gone places and people, absorbing herself in it, running from the reality that so dominated her life.

***
Barcelona, Aragon
1399

Sofia smiled at the man before her as she noticed the fear grow on his face. "Now, don't worry, I'm not dangerous." she said, smirking. Bartomeu was not a foolhardy or overly courageous man, and he knew to be scared of this strange woman. After all, she had gone through the palace and into his room and apparently didn't get caught along the way. Sofia chuckled. "Well, no overdone manly act this time I suppose. Normally the generals I visit tend to be very... stupid. I suppose that's why I'm talking to you and not them." Moving one of the extra chairs from the side of the room, the woman sat down and removed her cloak and hood.

"Tell me, general, are you aware of when your country's war against Castile is planned to begin?" she asked. This was the point where everything when beyond the scope of her planning and she had to act on instinct. "No, and even if I did know, I wouldn't tell you," Bartomeu replied stoically, having calmed down slightly.

"Ah, you don't need to tell me, you see, I already know. And believe me, you wouldn't withhold information. I can be very... persuasive."

Bartomeu's face still struggled to hold composure, but in his mind, he couldn't help but wonder frantically who this woman was. How did such a person get a hold of something that even one of Aragon's generals didn't know? For all he knew, it hadn't even been planned yet. Unless she was lying. That had to be it. The treacherous creature was lying to him in a useless attempt to extract information.

She stood up and walked circles around the general's chair slowly, looking down at him. "Well then, Lady Alicia, as I suppose I will call you, how did you come to get a hold of this information?" he asked, becoming uncomfortable as the silence dragged on.

As she completed another circle, Sofia dropped herself to eye level, staring intently at him as she spoke. "Ah, you know, a few tricks here and there," she said with a wink, knowing her thin veil of deception had been seen through. It wasn't actually a tactic, more of a test to make sure he wasn't incredibly gullible. "There is something I do know however, which you are perfectly aware of as well. Your own lord had you removed from the initial group of officers preparing to invade Castile. Now why do you think that was?"

He looked up at her in shock, wondering how she could possibly know such things. "I don't know, but I trust his judgment."

"Ah, ever the loyal one, aren't you? Have you ever thought that maybe this is just another step in his plan to get rid of you? Just think, how suspicious Marti has been, how he's gone out of his way to check on you more than anyone else. I've been watching, you know," she said, lying at the last bit. As she rose from her crouched position, she spoke in a less intense voice. "So maybe, just maybe, you should do something to justify that suspicion and mistrust."

She went out the door and left him to think about it, planning to return the next night.

[loki100]

Sofia is becoming a rather interesting character ..

[Ashantai]

Very interesting and well written piece! Sofia is a most interesting character, and she seems to have a very confident and dangerous feel about her.