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Episode 30- End Of An Era
Yeah, the first thing I have in mind when it comes to Jamaica is weed. Be thankful I didn’t make a bobsled team joke.





Island of Jamaica, 11 May 1495



It was an chilly evening in the village of the Daykamhenya tribe. Chief Comet Sighted was sitting next to a campfire, smoking his favorite pipe. Opposite him, shaman Secret Bear was performing a far- seeing ritual.

“What do you see, oh Wise One?”

The Shaman inhaled some of the smoke from the campfire, then exhaled loudly.

“I have acquired the wisdom of things that are happening and that will happen.” His voice like a thunderbolt in the storm. “Spirits from the lands far away are speaking to me. Something is rotting in the state of Denmark.”

“*sniff* It must be Stranger Danger, our scout. He hasn’t cleaned his tent in weeks now. I need to have a serious talk with him.”

“No. I’m talking about the land beyond the great water. It is suffering great peril at the hands of their rivals.”



“Why should we care about some tribe beyond the Water? They are far away. They are no concern of ours.”

“No.” The shaman exclaimed. “The wind of change is blowing from the East. The distance between the shores is getting smaller. Soon, They will arrive on their boats. With them, they will bring doom and destruction.” He stopped for a while. “They are vague about what will happen exactly, but we need to be prepared.”
“Very well. Tell me what else have you seen.”

Secret Bear grabbed the pipe and took a big swig. “Ah. The Empire of old is succumbing to dust, their lands slowly taken apart by rivals and opportunists. The Land of Purple will soon be no more.”



“Huh. There have been tales of a great Empire beyond the Great Water, told by the visitors with long hair and big helmets, so long ago. Nobody came from beyond the Water for generations. Do you think there is still something there?”

“Aye. Rumors of strange new ships are spreading like wildfire. Fair- skinned people wearing funny clothes and short hair.”

“They aren’t the same people, then. Anything else that the Spirits told you?”

The shaman closed his eyes, sitting perfectly still for a short moment. “On the Land of the Boot, the phony Emperor is asserting his petty authority upon the people of Napolis. They intend not to cave in. There might be blood spilled.”



“Good. Let them spill blood amongst themselves. The later they arrive, the better.”

“There is one more thing the Spirits are saying, my Chief."

“What is it then?”

Shaman took a deep breath. “ It’s a vision, a warning about the future. Something we should all be wary of.” Ha paused, then cleared his throat. “Don’t buy Betamax.”




“What’s that supposed to mean?”


Secret Bear shrugged. “I don’t know. It might be too early for us to figure it out.”


“All right. I’d prefer a vision about who took my favourite smoke pipe.”


------------------------------------------------------------
Same place, 27 may 1496




It was another peaceful evening at the Daykamhenya village. The warriors have mostly gone to sleep. Only a few guards remained at duty, though they were largely intoxicated by various herbs. Chief Comet Sighted was contemplating a very fine specimen of female part of the tribe, specifically her lower regions. He pondered about his past, when he was just a young, inexperienced scout. He could have bedded at least three women every day. Nowadays, though, he had ‘authority’ and ‘visage’ to maintain, and the only thing he had left was his old wife Striking Vulture.

He sighed loudly and took a glance at the fireplace. Shaman Secret Bear was scribbling in the ashes with a stick. After further inspection, the drawing appeared to be a crude depiction of an element of female anatomy. Two elements, to be exact.

Aiming to get his attention, the chief coughed loudly, which caused him to hastily wipe out the scribble.

“There has been more strange boats sighted recently. The warriors are getting weary.”

“Is that right, my Chief? I remember them being rather calm.”

“I’m talking about the warriors from nearby villages.” He sighed heavily. “Ours are only concerned with smoking herbs. Tell me more about the lands beyond the Water.”

A focused expression appeared on the Shaman’s face as he leaned forwards. He reached for his bag and took out a handful of dried leaves. They both took a big whiff. The Chief coughed loudly.

“It’s a different mix than you use usually. What it is this time?”

“It’s special herbs which has been picked on the twentieth day of the fourth month. It’s a mix of special power.”

“Just don’t show it to the warriors. They are hooked up more than enough as it is. Now, what do you see, Wise One?”

Secret Bear took a big whiff and held it. He then exhaled rapidly and his eyes turned blank for a while. Finally, he spoke.

“In the East, the Empire that is crumbling accepts a shameful defeat in order to hold what little they have together.”



“In the Land of the Boot, new advancements happen. Europa is coming out of the shadows of the Ages of The Dark.”



“The East was engulfed in the flames of war for a long time. Finally, the war came to a conclusion that satisfied no one. Time will tell who will succeed in the eastern lands.”





The Chief looked at the shaman. “Is that all?”

“There is one more thing. A shadow is coming, vile forces are ready to strike at the heart of the kingdom. The match is coming to its conclusion and soon the White King will fall.”

“The match? What are you talking about?”

Secret Bear pauses for a minute, then starts muttering. Finally, he speaks aloud. “It’s some kind of reference to an Eastern game. The Spirits are vague about that so I’m not sure.”

Their banter was interrupted by the Scout Master calling.

“My Chief, we have visitors!”

“Visitors?! This late? What do they want now?”

“We don’t know. They are seeking our Shaman. They are wearing some very strange outfits.”

“Very well, let them in. Though warn them: they are being watched by our warriors. Not that they would hit anything…”

He brought the travelers before the Chief. They were none other than the well- known to us Aziraphale and Crowley. The latter had an arrow stuck in his hat, presumably a memory of an encounter with a scout.

“O, wise Chief, we require the guidance of your shaman. We are searching for someone on this continent and we require his assistance.”

“Why do you want to meet my Shaman specifically? And who do you represent? Did you come here on your own accord?”

“No, actually, we serve a higher authority….” Aziraphale begun.

“Or a lower authority. “ Crowley interjected.

“Yes. Anyway, we seek your guidance and wisdom, o Wise One. There is a lot of land here and finding one person would be pretty much impossible.”

“And why should we help two strangers? People distrust foreigners, especially with the strange ships sighted recently.”

“It’s a good thing you asked!” Crowley exclaimed, proud of himself. “We have this in exchange!”

He reached to his bag and brandished a wooden pipe, richly engraved and painted.

“My favourite pipe! Where did you got it, you vultures?” He reached for his spear, anger written across his face.

“We didn’t steal it, we swear! We retrieve it from the nearby village!” Aziraphale explained hastily.

“Yeah, it wasn’t that hard after they got knocked out by their ‘rituals.’” Crowley added.

Chief Comet Sighted calmed down. “Very well. You may seek the wisdom of your shaman. Just don’t take too long.”

“That you, dear Chief.”





Secret Bear, Aziraphale and Crowley sat around the campfire. The shaman threw a bunch of dried leaves into the fire.

“Breathe in, travelers.”

“Is it really necessary?” Aziraphale asked, concerned.

“The smoke binds us together. It is needed to receive the wisdom which you seek.”

He nodded and inhaled. After a few whiffs, Aziraphale felt less concerned, even a bit relaxed.

“Ah, we used to have some herb parties back in He…. The place I’m from. They were a bit different though. And you don’t hear screams of the damned here either.”

“Ah, I see the place, right when the two great rivers meet, a village with a bow and a vulture as its sign. There you shall seek what you need.”

“That’s it? No other hints?” Crowley asked.

The Shaman shrugged. “We are a poor village. We were only able to afford a basic correspondence course for shamans. This is an extent of my abilities.”

Aziraphale nodded. He wonder about how they could have a correspondence course in America, though he preferred not to think about that too much. He learned that the less he questions things that he finds weird, the better for his sanity.

“Thank you, Wise One. We will begin our search right away. May your village live long and prosper.” Aziraphale said while doing a strange gesture with his fingers. He didn’t really know why he did it, he was just felt the need to.

“May your journey be swift and the snakes you find in your shoes not poisonous.”


“Eh… thank you, I guess….”



Aziraphale and Crowley left the village, heading towards the west, using the stars as their guides.
“Don’t you think that this journey was a bit of a waste of time?” Crowley started.

“Nah. A least we’ve learned where he is, approximately, that is. The great rivers…. I think I know what he meant.”

“Yeah, it will take a while, though. We won’t get back to Naples that soon.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much. Surely they can handle themselves without our help.”


I hope so, Aziraphale, though sometimes I doubt them….”



Meanwhile back in Naples……



---------------------------------------------------------------------
Naples, 12 June 1495




In the royal palace of Naples, King Alberto was just preparing to go to sleep when he heard a door opening. His wife Olivia entered the bedroom.

“Hey there, darling. Finally nighttime. I can’t wait to go to sleep.”

She looked through the window. “It’s not that late yet. Surely you’re not planning to go to sleep at that early time?”

“You know, sleeping is only one of the things you can do in a bed…”

She raised an eyebrow. “Really? Didn’t you get enough of that in your life?”

“Oh, I’ll never get enough of you…. I’m open for suggestions, though. What is it that you want to do?”

“The weather is fine, we might go for a walk.”

Alberto looked through the window. “I don’t know. We’d have to inform the Captain about that.”

“Oh, we shouldn’t concern Adriano with such trivial matters. Besides, it’s just a walk. What could possibly go wrong with that?”

“I guess you’re right. Probably no one will notice us sneaking our anyways. Have you got any specific place in mind.”

“No, just going around town I guess.”


“Fine by me.”

So, the King and the Queen left the royal palace, hand in hand, as if they were a young couple, not an old pair of rulers. The town was quiet and peaceful, quite unlike during the daytime. A perfect time for a walk, you would say.


One thing they did not see, however- a pair of small, beady eyes watching them from the palace’s window…



----------------------------------------------



“Ah, it a wonderful time for a walk, don’t you think?”

“Indeed, my dear. All those buffoons and imbeciles asleep. It’s almost like a normal city!”

“Oh, don’t be so harsh, Alberto…… wait, did you hear that?”


There was a ruckus coming from the back alley.

“Yeah…. We should probably leave.”

“Ah, it’s probably just a cat stuck in a bin. We should help it!”

Alberto wanted to object, but he knew well that his wife can’t be persuaded that easily when she’s determined. He just sighed and followed her into the alley.

“Oh, you poor little thing. Stuck in a garbage bin like that. I’ll let you out, see?” She opened up the lid and a cat jumped out of the tin, purring loudly.

“See, he's happy I helped!”

“That’s wonderful. What about we head back? It’s the middle of the night already.”

“All right.” She and Alberto left the alley. Upon heading back, they passed a group of travelers wearing long coats.

“Good morning, good sirs. The weather is fine, isn’t it?”

One of the travelers turned around to face him. Upon seeing his face, his mouth opened.

“It’s them!” He explained. All the travelers reached behind their coats. Alberto somehow knew that that was a bad sign. He felt his shoulder being pulled- Olivia was guiding him to the back alley. He didn’t think about that twice.

Upon running through the narrow alleys, Alberto suddenly realized how old he was. The years have taken a toll on his and his running was just not as it used to be. Thankfully, the pursuers didn’t manage to catch up to them due to their precise maneuvering. The days of walking with Olivia through this alleyways have finally paid off, it seems.



Upon reaching the crossroads, a figure framed in shadows appeared out of the doorframe. Fortunately, before he even had a chance to come any closer, he was greeted with a crossbow bolt to the forehead.

“How did you manage to carry a crossbow with you?” Alberto asked while they were running.

“One of the advantages of these fancy dresses is that they have lots of room to hide things.”

“Ah…. You know, we should probably call for the guards.”

“They are either sleeping or too scared to leave the guardhouse.” Olivia explained.

Alberto sighed. He knew his city too well.

“Thankfully, we are getting close to the palace.”

“Let’s celebrate once we get there, all right?”

“I agree.”



The last stretch to the palace went without further incidents. Alberto and Olivia were running towards the palace gates.

“Guards! Open the gates!”

“My King! We were looking for you! Where have you been?”

“We went for a walk and things got… complicated. There are unknown men in the city, most likely with unfriendly intentions. Get some men and deal with….”
He paused and turned around. Behind him, a hooded persona was ready to launch a crossbow bold in their general direction. He managed to get between him and Olivia. In the corner of his eye, he saw the guardsman aiming his bow at the hostile figure. He fires. The arrow strikes the aggressor in the chest, sweeping him off his feet.


Too late.



Alberto de Valois lost control of his feet. Olivia managed to grab him before he fell to the ground. Her expression was that of utter panic and horror.

“Olivia…. I’m sorry….”

“Don’t be stupid. You took an arrow for me.”

“Well, you had one reason to have me around.” He laugh, though the laughter was cut short by the pain in his chest. “You don’t have to hold me like that, you know…”

“Alberto….” He heard the pain in her voice and it was breaking his heart. He looked around to face her. Tears were streaming down her face. He wiped them out with his hand.

“I guess this is the end. Don’t worry, I’ll be looking down on you. Just keep an eye on Carlo.”

She didn’t answer. He closed his eyes and rested his head on her chest. He felt cold.

“So…. Olivia…. I have one more question….. Was I good?”

She looked at him. At first, she just nodded, trying very hard not to break down, but finally she managed to speak.

“Yes, Alberto. You were.”

“I’m glad……”He said and felt a chill coming down his spine, just as his consciousness left him.



----------------------------------------------------------------------


He woke up a while after that, feeling no pain, just a bit of cold. He was still on the streets of Naples, just before the gates of the palace. It was different, though. He knew it was just a temporary stop before the unknown.

He took a good look at the palace gate. “Funny. I didn’t think it would be the last thing I’ll ever see.”

Suddenly, he heard someone coughing loudly. “Excuse me, what about me. I was there too, remember?”

He turned around and his face had perhaps the most bewildered expression he ever had. Behind his was Olivia, dressed exactly the same as when they were together.

“Olivia…. But, what are you doing here?”

She smiled. “Did you thing I’d let you go anywhere without me?”

“But I’m dead! This must mean that…. That…”

She turned sad and pointed at her stomach. “It seems that this crossbow bow was meant for the both of us.”

“But… why didn’t you tell me?”

She shrugged. “It was hard enough for me to see you die, I didn’t want to add up any more. Besides, I didn’t want to diminished your moment of glory.”

“So, in death, I turned out to be a hero, even though I really wasn’t?”

Olivia shrugged. “You were always a hero to me. And to the people of Naples as well.”

Alberto smiled and embraced his wife. “You know, of all the people I could chose to die with, I’m happy it was you.” They shared a long, passionate kiss. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She turned around when she heard the sound of feet hitting the stone floor. A tall figure wearing black robes and carrying a scythe was behind them, looking impatient.

“Let’s go, Alberto. We don’t want to keep Him waiting.”



They got up and followed the black figure into the unknown….







------------------------------------------------
This is it, folks, the conclusion of Alberto’s arc. I hope you enjoyed it. Tune in next week (hopefully…. )for more.
 
Episode 31- The Beginning Years of King Carlo​
Some day, we'll have a part where something exciting is happening, I swear.​




Naples, 19 November 1496


Things were slowly beginning to settle down after the unfortunate demise of King Alberto and Queen Olivia and many people were looking curiously at the newly crowned ruler of Naples. While Prince Carlo was indeed a promising individual, many were concerned about the rumors of his less than virtuous lifestyle.
Nevertheless, after the enlightened rule of King Alberto, most were expecting the reign of his son to be just as illustrious.
They wouldn’t be so certain about that if they saw him in his off time, though.



*Knock Knock*

“Who’s there?” Prince Carlo asked from inside his room.

“It’s Adriano.”

“Adriano who?”

“Adriano the Captain of the Guard, my King.”

“You’re supposed to say some kind of clever punch line…. Let’s try that again, shall we?”

“Quit joking around, Your Majesty. We have work to do.”

“*sigh* All right…” Carlo slowly opened the door. Captain Adriano was wearing his official uniform, complete with a sheathed sword.

“What is it this time?”

“Don Giraldini wants you to sign some documents regarding the new tapestries, my King.”

“Can’t you just say I got some important things to do in my office?”

Adriano gave him a stern expression.

“*sigh* All right.”

They went down the stairs into the council chamber.

“Nobody’s here.” The King exclaimed. “What is up with that?”

“I guess don Giraldini was delayed. We should wait for him here.”

“All right. Anyway, is there something important I should know about? I’ve been out of the loop for the last few weeks.”

“Let me see…. Ah, you’ve probably heard about the Scottish embargo, right?”



“Indeed I had. I wonder what we’ll ever do without the ability to trade in Reykjavík?” He stopped for a minute and gave Adriano a probing stare. “Say, was it good?”

“What was good, Your Majesty?”


“My sarcasm, Adriano. Was it good? I really tried.”

“I don’t know. I didn’t pay attention.”

“Come on, Captain! You’ve no sense of humor.”

“Frankly, it’s hard to appreciate humor when I have to keep maintaining a straight face while calling you ‘Your Majesty’, Your Majesty.”

King Carlo was unimpressed. “Hey, respect your King! Anyway, is there anything else?”

“Morocco is at war with Byzantium.”



“Ah. Things are looking rather grim for the Byzies.”

“Indeed. Also, the country of Luneburg decided to declare war upon Mecklenburg. It provbed to be a bad move, as they winded up at war with good half of Europe.”



“*whistle* That’s an impressive collection of adversaries. Always remember me to double check the alliances.”

“As you wish.” They were interrupted by the knock on the door. “It seems that don Giraldini has arrived. Should I let him in.”


“It seems I have no choice….”




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



In 1497, Hungary had the dubious honour of setting the record for a shortest knockout, courtesy of Austria. The peace terms were very severe, and proved disastrous for Luneburg, as it was now without any meaningful allies.



England continues to be the red- headed stepchild of Europe. In February, they received a very nice letter from the Pope…



The English decided to cut their losses by extorting some land from the Danes, though even that wouldn’t save them from what was to come.



What was that thing. Well, two simultaneous declaration of war, of course!



The war between Byzantium and the Mamluks ended in November of 1497, with the defeat of the Empire. The Greeks were forced to cede land to the Egyptians.

[pic8]

Somewhere at the end of the year, merchants in Reykjavík (all two of them) wept after the Center of Trade vanished forever.


So much for the embargo, Scotland.

In December, surprising news arrived from Germany. Despite overwhelming odds, Luneburg won its struggle against Brandenburg, forcing them to cede Altmark as well as cancel their treaties.







--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Naples, 26 August 1498




“Your Majesty, I have some disturbing news. Two of them, in fact.” Captain Adriano entered the King’s bedroom. King Carlo stood before him. His clothed indicated that he was dressing up in a hurry.

“What is it, Adriano? You interrupted my nap.”

”I’ve noticed.” His attention shifted suddenly towards the drawer. “Wait, is someone in your drawer? I heard some strange noises.”

“Nah. It’s nothing. Nothing along. Pay no attention to it.”

Adriano wasn’t convinced. “You’re not smuggling in women again, are you?”

“Of course not, my Captain. Why would you ever thing of such a thing? Anyway, was there a reason of your barging in?”

“Ah, right. I’ve picked up this thing on the market today….”

“Congratulations.” Carlo said in a driest tone he could muster.

“The thing itself isn’t important. Just read this:”

He showed him the thing. It was a wooden plank, used often in rather unsavory activities. On its side, there was a text reading ‘MADE IN CAPE VERDE.’

“All right, but what this has to do with anything…. Wait a minute….. Wasn’t Cape Verde supposed to be uninhabited?”

“It was, until recently, my King.”

“If so, then who settled it?”

“Portugal, I presume.”



“The bastards! I feel so angry now! I know! I’ll introduce some reforms that reduce the power of the nobility! That will cheer me up!”

“I’m certain they will be happy about it, my King!”


A WHILE LATER


Adriano and Carlo stormed through of the palace, closing them shut. Their clothes were covered in various fruits and vegetables, most of them not exactly fresh. The sound of rabble were coming from the outside.

“My God, these guys are so irritable! Why didn’t I think it through?”



“It appears to be an occupational hazard of a progressive monarch, my King.”

Carlo scrubbed the vegetables out of his coat. “Well, at least we’ll get salad today. Hear that? I think they’re leaving.”

Adriano shrugged. “I think they’re just returning to get some troops to burn down your palace.”


“I see. Should I bother the general about it?”

“I don’t think that will be necessary.”


“Good. Prepare my horse, Adriano.”



---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The noble uprising in Naples was rather easily put down and its instigators were, as always, allowed to return home to cause some more problems in the future.
Meanwhile, Austria, unhappy about the fact the Balkans aren’t entirely white at this point, decided to declare war upon Transylvania.



In November of 1498, England sued for peace with Burgundy, bringing one of their wars to a close. The Burgundians demanded Calais and Halland.



To celebrate the victory against the rebellion, King Carlo decided that the time has come to continue the exploration of new lands. Martino Rivanni was hired to sail the uncharted seas and bring glory to Naples, or at least to not bring any more shame.




The year was 1499, the last one of the fifteenth century (well, the second last, but most people didn’t know that or didn’t care.). Europe has changed and King Carlo was aiming to prepare Naples for the new century.





Naples, 3 December 1499


King Carlo was sitting in his office, playing with the new- fangled device called the Printing Press. It came from Germany and its purpose was to simplify mass- production of books. Carlo found a much more amusing use for it, though- making inappropriate words. He was very proud of himself when he managed to spell the word ‘SODDING’ on the press, but he was interrupted by the knock on the door. He sighed, set aside the device and opened them.

“Ah, it’s you, Adriano. Is everything ready?”

“Indeed it is. Come with me, My King.”

Carlo followed Adriano down the stairs. Not many things happened in 1499, so he and Adriano didn’t have much to do.

There were only two things worth mentioning.

The first was yet another war between Muscowy and Novgorod.



The other was the end of the struggle between England and France. Bizarrely, the French demanded the Irish province of Ulster in exchange for peace. No one knows why would they do that.



However, there were more important things at hand. Naples was entering the new century and new ideas were needed to prepare it. Fortunately, recent developments allowed the citizens of Naples to hold more ideas than ever in their tiny heads. King Carlo decided to use that possibility to enact new colonial decree.

Said decree stated that those who decide to abandon their former loves and head for the colonies would have their past transgressions forgiven, or at least disregarded. He had hoped that this would provide the spring forward that Neapolitan colonial empire needed.





For it seemed certain that the next century will be the Age of Colonialism.
 
An Age where England will not be present...

Indeed, that will be quite unusual. Though maybe the United Kingdom of France and Northern Ireland will make up for it....


Okay, guys, the 50- year update is coming today, followed by an update by the end of the week. I promise this time. This one will be a short one (spoilers, maybe?). Also, you may expect a surprise from me in the coming days.
 
Intermission 2- The State of Affairs 1500




So, the time is right for another 50- year update. I don’t feel like writing in- story this time so this is going to be purely my commentary.
Click here for the previous 50- year update, if you want reference.



The economy and tech:





Here we have some major progress, finally. Twice as much tax and four times as much production income, which makes an over 100% improvement in total income in fifty years. The only thing that’s lower is my trade income, which barely even registers.

As you can see, I’ve been prioritizing government tech to get Quest for the New World as fast as I can. Nabbing two University provinces probably helped a big deal in achieving such a high Government level. Now, I’m aiming for naval tech for improved colonial range.

Ideas and Policies:



As far as sliders go, I’ve reached as far as Feudal Monarchy will let me. I will probably go for full Quality in the future, after that, I don’t know.
About ideas: I got rid of Shrewd Commerce Practices in favor of QftNW a while back. Military Drill is pretty much a necessity if I want to compete with the big guys. Press Gangs are mostly in case I go over the naval limit.

Time to go over the landscape of Europe (people easily scared by unaesthetic borders are advised to stop reading.)

Scandinavia and Central Europe:



Everyone’s a loser over here. It’s a disjointed patchwork of countries and one-province conquests. If you don’t have a province in the Baltic basin, you don’t belong to the cool country club, it seems (*sniff*). North Germany is without a major contestant.

Eastern Europe:



The East is dominated by Lithuania, now independent, and Muscowy, who periodically eat up on Novgorod. The Golden Horde is slowly dissolving. I predict that Lithuania and Muscowy will move to blows over their remains at least once.

Also, Castile owns Georgia now. What?

The Middle East:



Byzantium, a major success story in the past years, is now a mere shadow. I might’ve had something to do with it. The Ottomans have experience a situation known as ‘back to square one’- they are back to being minor Beys in the Anatolia. Amusingly, the Knights are still alive, left alone by the squabbling powers. The Mamluks are big, but they are backwards and mire with internal problems.

West Mediterranean:



The Moors have been driven out of the Iberian Peninsula. Castile is almost finished with Aragon and have taken a bite out of Portugal in the meantime. The Maghreb is dotted with small European colonies.

Western Europe:



England is getting schooled by Scotland and Bohemia is getting smashed by Austria, but you should be pretty used to that by now. France is slowly recovering from the beating they suffered a while back. Burgundy does what Burgundy does best- beating up smaller nations. Austria seems to have awakened, as they are now on a huge conquering spree in the Balkans and in the Empire. The HRE itself sees constant struggle for power between Bavaria and Austria.


Religious map:



Probably as homogenous as it’ll ever be. One thing of note are the two Jewish provinces. I still have no idea how they came to be.

Diplomatic mapmode:



I’ve gained 3 new provinces in Europe: Siena, Firenze and Romagna. The rest of my provinces are pretty much all cores. My only non- vassal ally is Castile, but frankly that’s the only ally I’ll need for a while.

Technology:



I’m not falling behind tech- wise, but that’s mainly due to government tech, I think. As usual, trading OPM’s are the tech leaders. The Muslims officially start to fall behind.

National statistics:



Sorted by income. I’m actually on the first page this time! I’m still far behind the leaders, but at least that’s a start. When I’ll get my colonial empire up and running, things should get better.

Armies:



I’m on the first page again, and I didn’t even need to copy- paste anything. Granted, I’m still almost 10000 troops behind the next one on the list, not to mention the top five…..

Navies:



I’m making progress, though I’m still far behind. As far as big ships go, I’m almost at Scotland’s level. You can notice that England is no longer number one, but they still are a formidable naval opponent (too bad their biggest enemy shares a land border with them).

Now to the Charts.

Number of Provinces:



This one shows the slow decline of the English, as well as the fall of the French around 1475. The Mamluks and Castile are steadily on the rise.
Overview of my provinces:



The increase in production income is especially visible here. Coring of most of my Greek territory did wonders to my economy.

Pies (Hoorah!)



I’ve gotten more uniform religiously but less uniform culturally. Also, I’ve picked up one Sugar- producing province, which is always good.

Centers of Trade:



Notice that the only CoT’s where I have any chance of succeeding are the ones I can’t reach. I blame, as always, the Germans (more specifically, The Hansa and Mecklemburg). Not pictured: the short- lived Center of Trade in Reykjavík.

Incomes:



I chose my neighbors as a comparison so that I can come up as an improvement. The decline in the past five years is due to me losing my merchants, mostly.
Inflation:



I’ve been heroically beating down inflation for the last 50 years and now we are down to less than 1%. Other countries, it seems, think inflation is some kind of superweapon (it is, actually- coins are pretty heavy when gathered in large quantities, and since you won’t have much use of them other than chuck them into canons….).



That would be it. If you like my series, be sure to like, comment and subscribe share your opinion in a comment.


Thank you all who were following my work for the past months. It wasn’t a very good time for me and I often struggled with writer’s block and exhaustion, though I hope what I managed to give you was entertaining. I promise you the next 50 yeast will be at least as good as the last.
See you next time!
 
Wow, great to see an overview of the saga of Naples thus far! Keep up the good work, and good luck with everything.
 
Wow, great to see an overview of the saga of Naples thus far! Keep up the good work, and good luck with everything.

Thanks, man! I honestly didn't know it would take so long to get to the year 1500... Hope I'll finish this AAR in this decade! :D

I wanna do an AAR now. But Im retired...

Sory to hear that. I must read the rest of your AAR's someday, though I never have the time ;)


So, guys, the next part is in the works. Sorry to keep you waiting. In the meantime, I have a different treat for you.
 
Episode 32- The Ending Years of King Carlo
England Just Can't Catch a Break, Episode 2567743






Naples 24 June 1500




King Carlo was alone in his room, mostly busy with signing paperwork. He yearned for something more exciting than that. Hearing the fascinating tales of Captain Martinno Rivanni, he was almost ready to exchange his throne for a job of a deck scrubber on Rivanni’s ship.



Sadly, the expedition around the African coast was not the subject of his attention. His paperwork dealt mostly with petty feud settling and other trivialities. Thankfully, it was almost over.

Signing the last document, King Carlo leaned back on his chair proud of himself. That self- fulfillment lasted exactly thirty seconds before it was brutally interrupted by Captain Adriano barging in, along with a giant file of documents.

“These are for you, my King.”

Carlo looked upon his captain as if he just killed his dog. “What?! They said there were no more papers to sign!”

“Those aren’t for signing, your Majesty. Besides, there were just delivered.”

“So, what are they all about?” Carlo said while looking at the mound of papers the size of Mont Blanc.

“Ah, Scotland just made peace with England.”



“Oh….. oh…..” The King looked with amazement and horror upon the sheer volume of the paperwork associated with the peace deal. “What, the good old land grabbing has gone out of style?”

“I don’t know, my King. The Scottish are hard to understand sometimes.”

“That’s true, with their accents and all…. Anyway, I have to see a map of this. Please tell me there is a map.”

“Indeed.” The Captain showed him the map.



King Carlo looked as if Christmas came early that year. “Oh, that’s a wonderful mess. I must congratulate the Scots sometime.”

“Don’t get so enthusiastic just now. We still need to establish relations with the new countries and guess who needs to sign the documents….”

“Will you, Adriano? I don’t know how to repay you…”

“Nice try, your majesty. Good luck with that paperwork.” He said while turning around in the doorway.

“Ah! Has anybody got some sympathy for the poor king?!”

Carlo’s question met with silence.




The rest of the year 1500 was pretty uneventful. The war between Poland, Bohemia and Austria was still raging on, with the Austrians being the clear winners, occupying most of their opponents’ territories.



Meanwhile in Naples, King Carlo was presented with a matter of utmost importance to the country: where should the annual festive be held. The King, naturally, was unimpressed.



The Polish struggle ended with the end of the year. The terms were pretty harsh- Poland had to not only cancel their treaties with Bohemia and Hungary, but to release Pomerania and Riga as sovereign states.



The next year was looking to be just as uneventful as the last one.






--------------------------------------------------------------------
Naples, 12 August 1501




Another day, another council meeting. King Carlo and his advisors were about to meet in the council room to discuss recent events. However, the King arrived a bit early and the only other person present was the Captain.

“Hey, Adriano! I didn’t expect anyone here so early.”

“Good afternoon, my King. I had some business to attend earlier so I decided to come now.”

“That’s fine by me. I swear, it seems that I only talk to you recently.”

“Well, my King, you should go out more often.” Adriano replied, laughing.

“Very funny. That’s not my fault that there is nothing exciting happening around here. There hasn’t been a good war since the Byzantines. I’m getting bored!”
“I have an idea- why not partake in one of the nobleman parties? Who knows, maybe you could find a nice lady there!”

King Carlo looked at him with disdain. “*sigh* How many times have I told you, I’m not interested in marriage! I’m content with leaving family business to Filippo. Speaking of, how has he been lately?”

“Ah, he’s pretty content. His daughter, Gabriele, turned 21 recently, so he and Sofia are looking for a suitable husband for her.”

“That’s nice. I need to check up with him more often. It’s embarrassing how little time I spend with my brother.”

“That’s not exactly your fault, my King.” Adriano tried to comfort him. “Your brother became pretty reclusive since Filippo’s death.”

Carlo sighed heavily. His older brother’s untimely death still weighted heavily on him. It was Filippo who was supposed to be the next King. Instead, Carlo was stuck on a throne he didn’t particularly want.

“Yeah, I know. Still, it would be nice to exchange stories…. Hey, enough of the grim subjects! Tell me, what’s been going on in the world?”

“You don’t want to wait for the rest of the council?”

“Nah, we can discuss the details when their arrive.”

“Always impatient… All right. There has been the defection of Finistere to Brittany….”



“Also, I have been informed that a new type of ship has been developed by our shipwrights. No, this one doesn’t sink immediately, at least as far as I know….”


A ship that sinks immediately would probably interest some Japanese shipwrights, though.


“…. Bohemia and Austria made peace at last and the Bohemians got a much better deal than the Poles. There were only forced to annul their treaties, as well as pay a huge sum of gold….”


I smell a conspiracy.


“…. The Austrians put the gold into good use, it seems. I’ve heard about a new Center of Trade opening up in Wien.”



“That’s interesting, Adriano. Hopefully they’ll fare better than those lads in Reykjavik.”

“Speaking of them, your Majesty, guess who’s accepting our merchants again.”



“Oh, that’s great news! Except, they don’t have any Centers of Trade anymore, so it’s pointless.” King Carlo shifted in his chair, almost falling in the process. “Ah, I think the rest of the councilors are coming. *sigh* I hope this meeting will be short.”

“For once I agree with you, your Majesty.”





Year 1502 rolled around and most people didn’t even realize. Though, this might’ve been because they’ve been reasonably plastered after the New Year’s celebrations, but who can know for sure. Neither did they know that this year many upstart nations would dare to challenge the status quo.
The first of such nations was Aquileia, who declared war upon the beginning of the year.



While this war wouldn’t make much splash beyond the Balkans, a bigger shock came bare two weeks after. In February, the Bavarian Emperor was just about filled with Austria’s imperialism. It could only end in war and a war that would engage almost the entire Empire. Will this be enough to cut the Habsburgs back to size? Time will tell.



It didn’t take long for other nations to take advantage. Just a week after the beginning of the war, Switzerland decided to strike on their own, citing an old and likely fabricated claim as a cause for war. They brought their allies in Genoa with them.



The war raged on and it seemed that this time the Austrians will not come on top this time. The first victors turned out to be the Genoese- in June, they demanded the province of Cremona in exchange for peace.



With half of Europe engulfed in flames of conflict, it was important to cherish the times of peace. In Naples, many people were grateful to King Carlo for his peaceful ways. Little did they know that Carlo’s peaceful approach was mostly caused by lack of opportunity for was, but that wasn’t important.



King Carlo proved to be a surprisingly good ruler, capable of good governance and just decisions. Many people afterwards wondered what it would be was he destined to rule Naples longer than he ended up to. That, however, would not change the way of things.


The year 1502 turned out to be King Carlo’s last.



-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Naples, 2 September 1502




Captain Martinno Rivanni was making quite a name for himself in Naples. After his famous expedition, which discovered the island of Saint Helena, he headed west to chart out the coasts of the New World. King Carlo was just reading a report from his expedition to the land the locals called ‘Ca- Nah- Dah’. By his words, the land was filled with nothing but trees and bears and the locals were a pleasant, peaceful bunch. It seemed to be an all right place to colonize, though King Carlo preferred warmer places.



The recent events also filled him with joy. While the Byzantines losing even more lands to the infidels was sad, it proved to be an opportunity for cheap conquest, if one can seize the opportunity.



Yeah, Morocco, the Three Douchebags won’t help you now.

There turned out to be more pressing matters, however.

King Carlo noticed some commotion in the courtyard. He went outside to investigate.

“Hey, what is going on around here?” He asked an errand boy standing there.

“Oh, my King!” He bowed, but Carlo gestured him to stand up. “There is that girl walking on the scaffold over there!” He pointed at the tower.

The tower was being repaired after a part of the wall has collapsed. It has been since repaired, but the scaffold remained.

Naturally, King Carlo did what every reasonable and self- respecting ruler would do- he assessed the situation and placed his men in such a…… ah, who am I kidding, he just charged right in.


“Don’t worry, girl! I’ll save you!”



We briefly leave King Carlo, just as he’s about to do the dumbest thing in his life, and instead move to the opposite side of the world- the vast land of America.



A picture of the explored New World for no reason
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



The Mississippi River basin was always an attractive place for human settlers. It was no wonder that the person Aziraphale and Crowley were looking for chose this place to hide. It was still far enough from western civilization and yet close enough to settlements- he could always disguise himself as a shaman or a wise elder.

Our heroes, though, weren’t so easily fooled. Tales of the local folk about a strange old man living on his own were pretty self- explanatory to them. It didn’t take them long to locate his hut- as hastily built as his last one, though seemed inhabited for a very long time.

Still, locating the man was one thing, but convincing him to cooperate was another, especially since their last encounter didn’t go very well. Crowley had a plan, though.

“Trust me, Aziraphale, let me handle this.” He reassured his companion. They were both standing in front of the old man’s hut. They had enough time to learn the customs of the local people, so their clothes left them almost indistinguishable from the natives. Well, except for Crowley’s fur cap- that one was purely for style.

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing, Crowley? I don’t even know what you’re up to! How can I know that this will work?”

“I listened to you twice so far and look how we ended up.” He replied dryly.

“Hey! We got there in one piece!” He interjected but Crowley silenced him with a gesture.

He knocked on the door. For a long while, there was no reply. Aziraphale was almost convinced that the old man was out, or worse, escaped them yet again. Just as he was about to lose hope, though, the door opened.

Crowley didn’t waste time with introducing himself.


“Hello, old man. *PUNCH!*”

Crowley’s strike put the old man on the floor, knocking him unconscious. Aziraphale was left completely speechless, staring at Crowley blankly. When he was finally able to speak, his speech was less than coherent.

“Wha…. Ah….. but, Why?”

“What? We didn’t want him to get away, right? Now he won’t have a chance?”

“But why, though? Are you beating old men now, Crowley? Have you finally stoop so low?”

“What do you mean? He’ll be fine. Besides, he’s no ordinary old man.”

“Are you sure? He looks to so well.” He said while examining the old man.

“He’s fine. I used the old Snake Punch. I’ve learned this technique back in Tibet. It knocked him down relatively safely.”

“How does a snake punch?”

“I don’t know. Look, Angel, make yourself useful and tie the birdie down. He won’t stay plastered for long.”


Aziraphale agreed, even if mostly due to the lack of a better idea, and grabbed a rope to tie the old man down.


“You know, Crowley, I have a weird feeling right now. It’s like there’s something very important going on right now and we’re missing it….”




-----------------------------------------------------------------------------




Aziraphale was right- there was something important they were missing. Maybe if they were in Naples that fateful day, King Carlo would still be alive. But maybe not…..

We last left our King when he was in the middle of doing the stupidest thing in his life- climbing up the scaffold to save a little girl. While his goal was noble, his methods were less so.

King Carlo climbed up to where the girl was at. He approached her slowly.

“Hey there, girl, it’s all right. You’ll be safe if you get here where I am.”

“Are you a minstrel, mister?” The little girl asked.

“No, I’m not. Why would you think that?”

“Minstrels are always wearing silly outfits. You are as colorful as a peacock, mister.” Carlo blushed a little because of her words, but remained calm.

“No, I’m not a minstrel. I’m a roof repairman. They need to be visible, you know. Come here, this place isn’t safe.”

The girl looked at him with terror. “But… my kitty…”

“What about kitty?”

“My kitty. It ran after the hamster and now it’s scared to get down. I have to get there!” She protested.

“Oh, so that’s why you got up here…” He stopped to think. He wanted the girl safe, but he didn’t want to upset her either. A thoughtful person would get the girl down and then try to lure the cat afterwards, but Carlo left his brain in different trousers that day.

“Listen me: you get out of here and I’ll retrieve your cat. It’s too dangerous for you.”

“You promise?” She looked at him with tearful eyes.

“I promise.” He smiled and the girl smiled in return. He came closer to him. He patted her on the head and helped her climb down. ‘Sweet girl. Maybe I’ve set aside making a family a bit too hastily.’ He though and proceeded to climb the scaffold.

Finding the cat was harder than he anticipated- it was difficult to climb the construction and Carlo was now quite worried about falling down. He knew he couldn’t fall back now, though. He climbed on until he finally found the cat.

“Here, kitty kitty!” He exclaimed, trying to get the cat to hop into his hands. It ultimatelt proved futile- cat was too scared to move. Resigned, Carlo decided to reach out for it. The cat was hesitant at first but in the end Carlo managed to get it out, though not without earning a few scratches.

“Can I just state that I disapprove of what you’re doing right now, your Majesty?” Someone shouted at him. King Carlo was not surprised to see Captain Adriano directly beneath him.

“Captain! You’re surprisingly miniscule from up here!”

“Save your jokes for later and get down already! I’m worried enough about you as is.”

“Oh, you were worried? That’s sweet. Okay, I’m going just let me…” Just when King Carlo was about to take a step down, something small ran just nest to his feet, causing the cat to escape his grasp. Not wanting in to get away, Carlo decided to grab it, and he did it just in time.

It was, however, a bad move, as the already shoddy construction was now suffering a critical existence failure, taking Carlo down way faster than he’d like to. The last thing he heard was Captain Adriano’s scream before he hit the ground.





The landing was surprisingly painless, as King Carlo soon realized. In fact, he barely felt anything at all- even the toe that was giving him hell for the last few weeks was okay now.

“Wooh. That was messier than I expected. Though I seem to be okay, so that’s a plus.”

“Look again, your Majesty.” He heard a familiar voice behind him.

“Ah, Adriano. Sorry for the mess. I didn’t expect things to end up right that.”

“You shouldn’t apologize to me anymore, methinks.”

“What do you mean?” He asked. The Captain just pointed towards the now- defunct scaffold.


And the now- defunct King Carlo, as it turned out.

Carlo was quite shocked to see himself, even more so in such a state. He could barely see the people gathering around, but all of them had the expression of sheer horror.

“But wait…. If I’m lying there…… that means… Oh, no….. Adriano, that means I’m dead, right?”

“Took you long enough to realize that.”

“And since I’m talking to you…. That means you also died under the debris, right?”

“Not your finest moment for sure, your Majesty.”

“Oh, Captain…” King Carlo turned towards Adriano. “I’m so sorry! You wouldn’t be dead if I wasn’t such a fool!”


“It’s not your point. Twas I who stood right under this whole mess like the utter moron.”

“Yeah.” Carlo looked to his right. “At least the cat is safe….” He pointed at the girl, happily stroking her pet.

Their attention was pointed elsewhere when they found a tall person dressed in black heading their way.

CARLO DE VALOIS. ALONSO DE GIRANA. I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU.

“That’s us.” The King exclaimed. “…wait. Alonso? Isn’t your name Adriano.”

“Well, my actual name IS Alonso…” the Captain explained, running his hand through his hair.

“So why did everyone call you Adriano.”

“Well, you always called me that and I never bothered to correct you, so, well, it stick….”

“Oh….” Carlo said. “…I feel stupid now.”

“You should, your majesty. Though, I like ‘Adriano’ better, so maybe it was a sign of your wisdom after all…”

They were interrupted by n annoying sigh.

SHALL WE MOVE ON?

“Oh, yes, we’re ready.” King Carlo looked at his palace one last time. Then, he looked at Alonso.

“Hey, Captain?”

“Yes, my King?”

“You were a good friend to me.”

“Yeah, so were you.”

The stepped into the unknown together.



 
Episode 33- Conquest At Last
Yes, It’s real. We have something interesting happening.






The faint light of the candle illuminated the interior of the hut- though Aziraphale and Crowley were starting to wish it wasn’t. They were sitting around waiting for the old man to regain consciousness for about half an hour. The air inside reeked of rot- Aziraphale was surprised that the candle didn’t cause an explosion yet. There were no windows and only the open door provided some kind of breeze.

“We really should’ve tied him up outside. I can barely stand being here.”

“I know, but I couldn’t find a totem pole anywhere nearby.”

“Why a totem pole?”

“I don’t know. It’s what the natives are always doing, right? Tying up intruders to the totem poles and throwing tomahawks at them? No?”


“*sigh* I’m starting to doubt he’ll ever wake up…” As Aziraphale was saying that, however, the old man was beginning to move. He tried to stretch his arms, realized his arms were tied and opened his eyes.

“Palaarernsaarmax….” Crowley leaned over him. “…. I actually remembered your name this time….. I think it’s time that we return….. wait a minute….. Angel?”

“Yes, Crowley?”

“Could you stand over there, please?”

“Why do you want me to do that?”

“Just get over there.”

“*sigh* fine…” He stood just behind the old man.

“Now lean your head so that yours is on the same level as his.”

“All right. Now what?”

Crowley flashed a menacing grin. “Tell me….. does my face look menacing in that light?”

“Wha…?” Aziraphale was unsure what to say.

“If it’s not scary enough I’ll shift the candle around…”

“Crowley, for goodness sake, quit toying around! I swear, you’re worse than a little kid sometimes!”

“All right, grumpy pants…..” He cleared his throat. “As I was saying Mr. Palaarernsaarmax, I think it’s the time we return to our pervious conversation.”

“Vile demon, I’ll never surrender to your master!” Palaarernsaarmax glared at him.

“Relax, old man, Big L has nothing to do with it. I just want to know what’s going on around here.”

“Well, you knocked me down and then you tied me up to a chair and…”

“Humor will grant you some favours with me, but it won’t save you from this, now speak up!” He flashed a mischievous grin. “Or do I have to tickle you?”

Aziraphale buried his face in his arms. “Tickle, really? Is this the best you could come up with?”

Palaarernsaarmax sighed, resigned. “Those fallen angels have all gone bad these days, it seems. Or maybe I should say, gone good?” He laughed at his own
joke. “Now, I’m impressed by your persistence in tracking me down so I’ll answer your questions, but on one condition: you will tell no one of my presence here.”

“That it? All right, old man, you can stay here for all eternity for all I care.”

“Fine…. Now tell me, Mr. Crowley…. When you eat chicken, is it really chicken?”

Crowley looked at him with dread. “You’re telling me….. those bastards! I will not eat in that place again!”

“No, no…… I mean it in a metaphysical sense….. when you put the chicken in your mouth, can you be absolutely certain that the chicken is real? Are your senses not deceiving you?”

Aziraphale decided to join the conversation. “Excuse me for interrupting, but is this going to be that solipsism crap? If yes, I think I’ll pass.”

“Let me finish! I swear, the young these days…. Anyway, what I was about to say is….. Imagine if something looks like a piece of chicken, smells like it, tastes like it, but somewhere deep inside you’re absolutely certain that it isn’t chicken?”

“Excuse me…” Crowley interjected. “But do we really need all those food metaphors? I’m kinda hungry.”

“Gah! Damn you! Well, one of you, anyway….. I can’t even get my privilege of being cryptic! I’ll start from the start: this world, this very earth that you’re standing on isn’t real. It might seem real to you but it is an illusion, meant to deceive you.”

“You mean, someone put us in some kind of alternate universe? But why?”

“Patience, Crowley, I was just getting to it….. You see, humans realized pretty soon after their arrival on this earth one thing: the world is boring. So, they started so seek out the ways to create their own, more interesting world. At first, they were using the power of imagination: works of literature, music and art, all of which created fake but more colourful versions of our world…”

“One thing, Mr. Palaarernsaarmax….. warn me when you get to the kissing part of the story, as I want to cover my ears first….”

Palaarernsaarmax’s only reaction to Crowley’s antics was a roll of the eyes. “…. But then they started to get more and more elaborate….. and somewhere in the deep future….. alternate future anyway…. They had the thing they called ‘Seeing Games’. Inside those, whole new worlds could be built, each one with their own people, towns, cultures…. “

“All right, hold on for a minute…” Aziraphale interjected. “ These games thing still does not explain how did we end up here!”

“Well, dear Aziraphale, you could not only create your own creations in those worlds, you could steal them as well. Some people would grab established characters, put them into their own stories and twist them into simplified caricatures of themselves. You can get a character flaw exaggerated to a point when it’s a sole defining feature, people who all are just walking stereotypes, or even worse, just stupid accents. The possibilities are truly endless here. “

“So, what you’re telling is…. We are trapped in some kind of alternate world created by some kind of person to his own amusement?”

“Indeed, Aziraphale, you understood me well.”

He gave Crowley an understanding look.

“Crowley, I think we’re done here….”

“Yeah…. Alternate worlds….. what a nonsense…. Last time I’ve ever listened to you, Angel.”

“Hey, at least I had an idea! Besides, we can always sell whatever we got to the bosses and have some peace for a change.”


“True. So long, Palaarernsaarmax! Don’t expect a letter.”


Our heroes left the hut of the old man, deaf to his warnings. Will his words prove to be true? Only time will tell

.
“Ah! As always, nobody listens to the old man. Soon you’ll be sorry and you’ll rule the day you refused to agree with Palaarernsaarmax!.......”


“Wait, could you just untie me, please?..... They already left, didn’t they….. Blast it! Is no one nice to elders anymore?”



Meanwhile, outside….

“Hey, Crowley, didn’t we forget about something?”

“You know, maybe you’re right….” He reached out to his pocket and brandished his eyeglasses. “Nah, we’re fine. We should be able to go back to Naples…..
wait, Aziraphale, please tell me you thought about a way back….”

Aziraphale’s look was all he needed for an answer.


“You know, I hate you sometimes…..”







----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Filippo de Valois, formerly known as Ricadro, was never hoping to be a ruler and being the third in line for the throne of Naples, his chances seemed pretty slim anyways, at least without ‘helping’ the fate. However, with the unfortunate demise of both of his brothers and a lack of other male heirs, Filippo was given the crown he was neither ready for nor happy about.

He was always a pretty meek kid, always overshadowed by his siblings, the only subject he was really good with was arithmetics. He only became more reclusive since the death of his beloved brother, Filippo. Traumatized by the experience, he decided to rename himself after the dead Prince and refused to answer to his old name.

Pretty much the only person to truly understand the young Prince was his wife, Sofia. He met her at a party organized by one of the local noblemen. He didn’t want to go there, but since Carlo disappeared from town not long before the event, he was forced to go in his stead. Sofia was a daughter of a Ferraran count, so the marriage had some political significance, though she and Filippo were quite fond of each other regardless.
Prince Filippo was living a long time in the shadow of his father and siblings. Now, with them gone, he was forced to take their mantle and rule Naples for the best of his abilities. Will he succeed?



--------------------------------------------
Naples, 3 December 1502




Filippo de Valois, king of Naples, was sitting in the throne room, along with his chancellor, Alfonso d’ Asburgo. It wasn’t long after King Carlo’s death, but most people were just about out of the shock.


“Alfonso, my Chancellor. I would like to know what the townsfolk are speaking about right now. It’s been two months since my brother’s unfortunate demise, so I wager they’ve found another gossip topic.”

“Aye, King, many people are wondering what your rule will bring. People are hopeful after the reigns of King Alberto and King Carlo, both of which brought great fortune to Naples.”

FIlippo sighed heavily. “I’ll try, but I don’t know if I have the skills they possessed.”

“Now, King, I served your brother and your father before him. They were both great statesmen but they had one thing in common- they both knew when to listen to their advisors. You have very good council on your hands- I don’t want to be boastful, but that’s true. You have nothing to worry about.”
The King managed to crack a smile. “Thank you, Alfonso. Maybe I won’t disappoint you.”

“Meanwhile, my King, I propose caution. There is yet another talk going around in Naples- one of treachery and deceit. Some of the nobles are unhappy about the reforms your father brought, saying that they reduce their power. If they see you as a weak ruler, they might try to force you to bow to their demands.”
“So, I need to show myself as a strong ruler. A war perhaps?”

Alfonso nodded. “Not a bad idea, King. A war is always a good idea to increase your popularity, if it’s successful, of course.”

“Do we have a good target for a war, though?” the King asked.

“I believe we have. I’ve heard that Portugal decided to attack Aragon, which put them at odds with Castile.”



Pictures! Finally, pictures!

“Interesting, but isn’t Castile our ally? We didn’t get called into conflict by them.”

“No, but our alliance with them allows us to join the war.”

“Hmm, interesting. Do they have anything we’d want, though?”

“They have valuable colonies we could take, King.”

Filippo thought about that possibility.

“So, we get in, grab their colonies and get out? Sound easy enough. I think we can do it.”



“Excellent. I’ll go fill in the papers. I believe you’ll be busy for the rest of the day. Did the Borghese already arrive?”

“Yes indeed. Sofia is really excited. Fabio Borghese is a pretty important person on the salons. If Gabriele was to marry him, my family would benefit greatly.”

“Indeed, King. I’ll be on my way, then.”

“See you later, Alfonso.”





So, it happened that the Kingdom of Naples was throwing the gauntlet once again. Would it succeed, or would it be to rusty after the long years of peace?
Despite some people’s fears, the sudden act of aggression did not cause much outrage. Europe had a more important thing to be outraged about.



Vittorio de Maretta was an odd one out amongst the Cornish priests, not only because his name was actually possible to pronounce but because of his open disapproval of the ways of the church. His critique of the Papacy persisted for quite some time until in February of 1503, the Pope has finally had enough, demanding that he stopped. However, he underestimated the effect he had on the people in Cornwall and beyond- what seemed to be a minor stride threatened to become another schism. The Reformation was real.


Fortunately, it would take some time for it to reach Naples.



---------------------------------------------------------
Naples, 7 March 1503



“Ah, my Chacellor, I have good news! The marriage between my daughter and Fabio Borghese is a fact!”

“Is it, King? That’s wonderful! That will surely strengthen the dynasty.”

“Indeed, but some people would probably prefer a male heir.” He sighed. “My brothers have left no sons, no legitimate ones, that is. With only Gabriele, the Valois family of Naples will vanish in the male line.”

“Don’t fret, your Majesty! There are more important things than a male line. Besides, I’m sure you and Sofia will have a son soon.”

“I don’t know about that. We’re not that young anymore and we had only Gabriele so far. I think that’s not so possible.”

“Well, King, you can always have a grandson instead! When do we celebrate the royal wedding?”

Filippo scratched his chin. “I don’t know, frankly. Probably after this war. Speaking of, how is it going?”

“Ah…. I have good news and bad news for you, King.”

“It’s one of those….. all right. Give me good news first.”

“We have taken control of Cape Verde.”



“Excellent! Wait, what are the bad news, then?”

“The English have joined the war as well.”



“Blast! Can they hinder us in any way?”

“Not likely. They have been crippled by their recent defeat by Scotland. They have some provinces on the coast of Africa we can seize, though.”

“Excellent, we’ll do just that.”





Filippo’s plan worked without complications- the province of Trarza was taken in April and peace with Lithuania, the war leader, was signed in June. A quick, painless victory.

Meanwhile, Scotland continues to be on the roll, this time beating the Jylland out of Denmark, quite literally.



After the war with Portugal, Naples picked up another ally in Bulgaria. Not outstanding, but another help nonetheless.



Portugal’s situation soon turned out to be dire.



Almost all of Portugal was occupied by Castile. With Portuguese army all but wiped out, defeat seemed certain.


In September, the war in the Empire was finally over, with the Bavarian emperor victorious. Austria was on its knees, forced to revoke many territories acquired in recent years.



The victory gave the Emperor enough popularity to push through another reform of the Empire. Will we see the Empire reborn?






------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Naples, 13 November 1503





Filippo de Valois was sitting in his office alone. The recent wedding of his daughter left him with little time to check the paperwork, so he was noticeably behind. Fortunately, the Chancellor was more than happy to take some work off his back.

Filippo soon heard knocking on the door when he was about to open another letter.

“Come in.”

It turned out to be Alfonso.

“Ah, Alfonso! What brings you here?”

“Just checking up. Are you done with the work for today, your Majesty?”

“Yes, just about. It’s the last one.” He read the letter with a serious expression.

“Is it important, your majesty?”

“it’s from the Pope.”

“Ah. What does he say?”

“It’s a plea for help. With the Reformation raging on, he’s hard pressed. “

“I’ve heard that Denmark has embraced the new Protestant heresy. That’s bad news.”

“Indeed. The Pope asks me to do something to bring credibility to the True Faith. He even says ‘help me, Filippo de Valois, you are my only hope.’ I think we should oblige, but how?”

“Driving the heathens out of Greece would be a good idea.”

“That’s neat, but do we have the means? Is our army ready after the last war?”

“Don’t worry, your majesty! Your brother’s bastards could supply the regiments for, ah, six to twelve months?”

“Excellent. I’ll ask the proper people. Tomorrow, though.”


“Great idea, King. I’ll be here if you need me.”

The declaration of war would prove to be simple enough- the Pope’s sanction was all Filippo needed. The only allies he would have to be wary of was the Golden Horde and Tusisia.



Soon enough, the war begun.





It all started good enough- Castile was doing the heave lifting as far as armies and fleets were concerned, so Neapolitan troops could siege key cities for quick victory.

It all almost ended in tears, though.



---------------------------------------------------------------
Naples, 18 January 1504





“My King, grave news!” The Captain of the Guard approached the King, who was sitting in the throne room. “Our colony in Arguin was taken by the Moroccans!”



“Damnation! We need to send our soldiers to retake it! Can we spare the troops?”

“The forts in Tripolitania are about to fall and the troops will be free then.”


“Great, we need to take it fast before it’s too late!”





------------------------------------------------------------------
The Crisis was thankfully averted pretty soon. The provinces of Sirt and Tripolitania all fell before spring, giving Naples some spare soldiers.






The colony of Arguin was retaken soon after that.


While the Neapolitan war was raging on, another war in Europe was ending. While Muscowy proved to be successful in yet another struggle with Novgorod, they lacked the leverage to execute any land concessions.



King FIlippo proved to be a cunning strategist as well as a decent diplomat. Worried about Morocco’s allies ruining his day, he decided to buy off Golden Horde for 25 ducats.



Who knew that Golden Horde would like gold?




The war ended in only way it could’ve ended- Moroccan stronghold in Macedonia fell in July, shortly followed by Smyrna. Morocco was defeated.



A peace was signed in January of 1505, giving Naples control over Macedonia, Sirt and Tripolitania, extending Neapolitan control over Greece and giving it colonies in North Africa.




Naples was once again victorious.
 
Episode 34- Bit Too Early for Piracy
Being de Valois will soon count as an occupational hazard






The year 1505 has just begun and the situation in Europe has begun to calm down, if only a little. In January, France has ended its war with Burgundy. They were forced to release their claims on Calais and Valenciennes, but were able to keep up in their other conflicts.



Case in point, at the end of January, the French have annexed the small kingdom of Holland. While the new lands may sound great now, it adds a new region of tensions between France and Burgundy.



In March, Castile decided to vasallize Navarra, increasing its hold on the Iberian peninsula.



Meanwhile, the Reformation, even though it has just started gaining momentum, already experienced a schism of its own. The people of Denmark have grown weary of their constant losses to the dominant powers of Europe and decided to send all of their problems to the Church. The result was yet another branch of the Reformation, styling themselves as the Reformed, who aimed for even more radical changes to the Christian doctrine. Only time will tell what will come out of this.



The shadows of war were still looming over Europe, though. In March, Genoa decided to take back their old territory, the island of Corsica. This has met with resistance from quite a few nations, including the Emperor himself.



Let’s move out of the conflict- struck Europe for a while and focus on the New World, a land without countries and kings, where only explorers and settlers mattered. In 1505, the Expedition of Martino Rivanni managed to chart a significant part of the New World and made contact with a thriving tribe called Shawnee.






------------------------------------------------------





The New World was largely untouched by the white man by this point. There were only a few settlements scattered along the shores and most European activity was centered around explorers and missionaries. Thus, Vittorio di Ancona, captain of a Castilian vessel “La Poruta”, was very surprised when he saw two clearly white people upon the shore calling for a pickup. While it seemed strange, their story seemed believable so they were allowed aboard.
The journey went without issues so far- they were scheduled to arrive in Sevilla by the end of the year. The new guys proved to be not so useful on board, but they didn’t eat much and were harmless enough so the crew had no problems with them.

However, trouble were soon to hit the peaceful voyage…





“You know, Crowley, I didn’t know it would be so easy to catch a ship to Europe. We’re really lucky!”

“Remember that it was I who looked that ship up.”

“Yes, thanks for that.” Aziraphale looked upon the deck. “Wait, what’s that commotion all about?”

“Let’s find out!”

Our heroes approached a deck mate.

“Sir, what is going on? People seem stirred up.”

“We have found another ship on the horizon.”

“Really?” Crowley said? “What’s that strange about that?”

“They don’t respond to any hails. We don’t see any colors on them so we don’t know what to expect from them.”

“Hmmm…” Aziraphale looked upon the ship. It was steadily approaching towards them.

“Captain, the ship is approaching blasting distance! It looks like they have hostile intentions, sir!”

“Man, the cannons and prepare for battle, men! Let the scum taste lead if they want so!”

“Oh, my. Crowley, he should hide!”

“Oh, you big wimp! Nothing can happen to you, you can’t die!”

“I know, I’m just…. You know…”

Crowley sighed heavily. The ships were starting to face their sides against each other. It looked like a cannon fight was imminent. The other ship, however, had other ideas. It made a sharp turn and approached “La Poruta”. The Spanish ship fired its cannons, but the exploratory vessel was under armed and not much harm was done to the aggressor.

“Prepare for enemy boarding, men!”

Indeed, the hostile ship soon connected and the deck was flooded by sailors. They were all covered in scars and tattoos. Or at least, they appeared that way- Aziraphale suspected that half of these scars were made during shaving.

The enemy captain entered the fray, carrying a belt filled with pistols and daggers. His head was occupied by an oversized hat. One of his eyes was covered by an eye patch.

“Avast, ye land lubbers! Yer ship is being boarded by the great Captain Coconuts, terror of the Seven Seas. Abbandon yer booty and come with us willingly, or yer be swimming with the fishies by tonight!”

The crewmen looked upon themselves with confusion.

“Ehm….. excuse me, but who are you again?”

The captain was visibly disturbed. “What? Ye didn’t hear ‘bout the great Captain Coconuts and his crew, da most vicious pirates on da Seven Seas? What rock wer’ ye benn living under, ye land lubbers?”

“A pirate?” Aziraphale interjected. “Is it not a little early to practice piracy here?”

“Arrr, it be hard sometimes, with so few ships around, but we brave on, aye! We be the first pirates of the New World and soon everyone will tremble when they hear about us, yarrrr!”

“So, you’re the most ruthless pirate by virtue of being the only one?” Crowley said.

Captain Coconuts brandished a sword. “Fer talkin’ like that, yer be the first to walk the plank, land lubber! Now, where is your precious booty?”

“Ehm….” The first mate started. “We don’t have anything valuable….”

“What? Den what ye be bringing along with yer, air?!”

“We’re explorers. We only brought food supplies to survive the voyage!”

“What bollocks!” Captain Coconuts spat on the deck. “Wait a minute…… You’ve got maps?! I bet the new sea chart will be worth a hefty penny back in Europe, ey, mates?”

“Eh, captain…..”

“Not now, lad. Now, arrrr, give me yer charts and maybe I’ll let you skid away on your little ship.”

“Captain….”

“I said, not now! It be a start of a new, dark tale! A new age of piracy be coming, arrrrr! Captain Coconuts will be known as the greatest pirate…… what is it now, lad?”

“Our ship is sailing away, Captain.”



“WHAT?!” Captain Coconuts looked upon his ship, now a good distance away from their target. “Blast it! Why didn’t you leave anyone to guard the ship!”


“You ordered everyone to board the enemy, Captain…”


“Shut yer mouth! Arrr, me be surrounded by morons all the time! But soon, everyone will know the might of Captain Coconuts!”





Meanwhile, on the other ship…..



“I can’t believe how easy it was, Aziraphale. Man, these pirates are morons!”

Aziraphale and Crowley were just getting comfortable with the new vessel.

“Aye, but one problem remains….. how are we going to steer it with only us two?”

“Don’t think about it too hard, okay? We got the ship, the rest will sort itself out!”

“I don’t see how this will work, Crowley…”

“Hey, if you don’t like it you can always swim your way to Europe!”

“All right, I won’t say anything…. “




--------------------------------------------------------------------

Not only Castile was making power plays on the Iberian peninsula. In April, Portugal decided to include Aragon, a former nemesis of Naples, into its sphere of influence, no doubt to counter the dominance of Castilians.



The Bavarian Holy Roman Emperors were renowned for their fierce defense of the Imperial subjects. Thus, it was a surprise to no one when the electors decided no nominate Maximillian Philipp as the new Emperor.



After a bit of delay, the reformation has finally begun to spread its roots to Naples. So far, only the colony of Canarias has succumbed to the new branch of Christianity but more will probably come after them.



However, in June, some disturbing news reached King Filippo….



------------------------------------------------------------------------



Naples, 13 June 1505




Chancellor Alfonso met King Filippo in his room, studying some documents.

“King, I have news. The Kingdom of Bulgaria is at war with Wallachia.”



“Hmmm. Bulgarians are our allies, right?”

“Indeed, my Lordship. They are asking for our assistance in this conflict.”



“Hmmm….. They are at war with Achaea and Albania as well….. tell me, don’t we have some deals with Wallachia?”

“Indeed, we have marriage ties with them. They won’t be happy, but Bulgaria is one of our few allies. It would be a shame to lose their trust.”

“Very well. Tell them we’ll offer them support.”

“Will you lead your troops yourself, King?”

“I think I will, Alfonso. I long for some more action.”




---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



By the beginning of September, Neapolitan soldiers landed in Greece to siege the holdings in Achaea and Albania, with King Filippo coordinating the attack.
Back home, hard work done by Chancellor Alfonso resulted in advances in the field of government. It was now possible to found new universities.



Not only Naples was doing the fighting- its allies were contributing as well, even taking control of Albania.



In November, the colony in Arguin, acquired from England in the last war, was finally big enough to be self- sustaining, thus allowing Naples to focus on other colonies.



The war was going well, however, in November, one event would deeply shake everyone in Naples…..






----------------------------------------------------




Naples, 16 November 1505


King Filippo woke up in his tent due to the commotion outside. He quickly got up and went outside to investigate.

“What’s wrong, soldier?”

No response.

“Excuse me? Soldier, I want to know what’s going on!”

The trooper didn’t even turn around to face him. Annoyed, Filippo left to ask someone else.

“Excuse me, soldier, what is going around round here?”

Still no response. ‘Are they playing a joke on me?’ Filippo wished that he knew their names, as he could report them to the captain later. He looked around. It was pretty dark for a morning, even for this time of the year.

He tried to ask a few other soldiers but got no reaction as well. What’s worse, he heard a few of them talking and they were clearly mentioning his name. It was starting to get infuriating. After a while, he stumbled upon a person wearing a black cloak. He’s never seen this person before and was curious to know who he is. If he was not a soldier, he was probably not into this masquerade.

“Excuse me, Mister? Can somebody please tell me what’s going on?”

I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU, FILIPPO DE VALOIS.

“Oh, finally! Everyone’s been ignoring me this whole time! Though I’d like to know who you are. I’ve never seen you here before. How come you’ve come to this camp without anyone noticing?”

IT WAS PRETTY MUCH IMPOSSIBLE FOR ANYONE ELSE TO SEE ME UNTIL TODAY.

“Really? How so?”

NO ONE DIED IN THIS CAMP BEFORE.

“It’s nice, but it seems pretty unimagina….. wait, what?!”

YOU HAVE DIED, FILIPPO DE VALOIS.

“I, dead? But….. how could this happen?”

The cloaked figure gestured at his neck. Filippo didn’t notice that before, but he had a cut reaching from his one ear to the other.

“My God, you’re right! But….. who would do that?”

SOMEONE WANTS YOUR FAMILY DEAD. THAT’S ALL I KNOW AND ALL I WISH TO KNOW. I DO NOT HOLD RECORDS NOR DO I PASS JUDGEMENT. I AM ONLY A FERRYMAN.

“I see….. My God, my daughter is in peril and I can’t even warn her….. I hope she can handle all this…”

With these words, Filippo followed the Reaper to meet with his brothers at last.


 
Episode 35- Aziraphale’s Secret Diary
This one doesn’t bleed ink when you stab it. That’s the domain of Crowley’s diary.






The following entries come from Aziraphale’s very secret diary. Don’t ask how we’ve come in possession of it.





12 January 1506



Ah, it is good to be back in Naples once again! Crowley doesn’t share my enthusiasm, claiming he’d rather go back to Hell, but I’m sure he’ll mellow out in time. We’re finally back from out trip to America (or whatever it will be called now, I’m not sure). The trip didn’t turn out to be especially fruitful but it was a fun journey nonetheless.

We’ve decided to settle down in the Royal Palace in Naples once again, this time as aides to Queen Gabriele de Valois, the last of her family. It was distressful to hear about the demise of both Alberto and his sons is such short time, but, well, such is life.

As it was quite some time since we’ve left, nobody can really remember us, though we still needed to adapt new identities. I’ve become Fernando D’ Azaphrele, a travelling scribe from Provence, while Crowley is now Morgan J. Crowley, an English alchemist. We’ve been welcomed rather warmly since the Queen was rather short on people at the time. She doesn’t seem like much at first glance, though after knowing her better I begun to notice that spark of brilliance Alfonso and Alberto had.

Many fuss was made recently about the war between Milan and Genoa, two Italian rivals to Naples.



However, much more important was the war with Wallachia right now. After Filippo’s unfortunate demise, it was in the Queen’s interest to end this war as fast as possible. Fortunately, the fall of Achaea in December last year made this possible.



Seeing the success of Neapolitan troops, the ruler of Wallachia was desperate. At the beginning of the year, he offered a small amount of gold in exchange for peace. The Queen, eager to end this war which claimed the life of her father, agreed. In fact, the peace treaty was signed just three days ago.



Though Naples was out of the war, Bulgaria had gained enough ground to ensure its victory even without Neapolitan help. In fact, only three days after the peace between Wallachia and Naples, they have annexed their enemy.



Naples was victorious, though with no territorial gains this time. This will allow Queen Gabriele to focus more on internal matters. I’m sure she’ll be as good a ruler as her predecessors.






30 July 1506



Ah, it’s been a while since I’ve been writing here, I know. I had a few things on my mind lately, but we’re get back to that.

A lot of things have changed since the end of the last war. Queen Gabriele, it seems, is content with allowing her advisors to make the majority of decisions. In particular, Chancellor Alfonso d’ Asburgo acts as a major driving force behind the Queen’s decrees. The nobles don’t seem to mind, as that means drawing some power away from the monarchy. Maybe they are planning to regain some of the influence they’ve lost over the years.



Me, I don’t think it matters that much if that means that the country is governed properly. Let’s hope Queen Gabriele will always have such great advisors.
In other news, a new member of the royal dynasty was born! Queen Gabriele finally has a child, a young baby boy named Cesare.

[pic6]

Meanwhile in the rest of Europe, the Reformation continues to spread like wildfire. Just recently, Switzerland decided to accept the reformed doctrine. Will more countries be affected?



This about concludes the recent events. I’ll write again once something interesting happens.






7 July 1507





Here I am again! I haven’t been able to update this diary lately, as the Queen spends most of the time tending to her son, so most of the work is left in the hands of the Council. As a result, me and Crowley have been pretty busy. Still, I did manage to find some time, especially since there has been some interesting things going on.

First off, a peace treaty between Milan and Aquileia resulted in the rebirth of Venice.



It wouldn’t been so weird if not for one detail. When I was looking through some documents, I stumbled upon one referring to ‘Archbishop of Venice’. As Chancellor Alfonso explained, this was not a mistake.



Venice as a theocratic state is indeed strange. I wonder how many more oddities we’ll encounter.

Neapolitan presence in Greece was been a fact for almost 100 years and the local populace begun to embrace its new Italian overlords. As a result, the provinces of Kozani and Larissa are now recognized as core provinces of the kingdom, thus bringing more stability and prosperity to the region.



After a century of constant humiliations, England has finally managed to regain some of its glory on the past couple of months. First, they have managed to regain ground in Ireland. This year, they have won a war against Wales, forcing the small country to be their vassal.



I would write some more, but frankly I’m behind with work for today and Crowley can’t be trusted with anything responsible. So, I’ll write some other time.






28 November 1507




I wasn’t meant to write today as I’m quite tired, but a matter of huge significance has just presented itself.

It all started in July, when the Mamluks declared war upon the Byzantines.



It all seemed pretty standard- the Byzantines were declining and the Mamluks were always looking for an opportunity to expand. However, they did not anticipate that another European power would like to take advantage of the fact. That indeed happened in September, when Castille decided to declare war on the Mamluks in return.



There were plenty of wars going on this year, if you think about it. There was this war between Brandenburg and Pomerania that started in September…



…but I’m getting sidetracked. The important thing is, Naples was allied with Castille and indeed the Spanish requested queen Gabriele’s assistance in the conflict.



The Queen obliged. Thus, we have found ourselves at war with the Mamluks, with Castille as the leader.



I wonder how this would turn out.
 
Episode 36- Egyptwhackers
The Pharaoh will not rise today





Naples, 13 January 1508




The soldiers of Naples weren’t destined to find much peace, as they were needed in another conflict yet again. This one was different than the last one, as it was taking place in the Middle East.

Naples has had contacts with Muslim nations before, mostly ending in war. The two that come to mind was the war at the beginning of the fifteenth century which resulted in the collapse of the Ottomans, as well as the recent war with Morocco. However, never before have Neapolitan troops gone so far east.
As Castile was the war leader, no one expected much involvement in the conflict from the Italian nation, but Queen Gabriele saw the war as an opportunity to strengthen her rule.

People were quite optimistic about the whole ordeal.


“Are we really sure about this? We might be risking much in this far- away conflict.” Aziraphale said as he was watching soldiers drilling on the palace fields.

“Don’t be a chicken, Angel. Our boys will siege some provinces and return home in no time!” Said Crowley, who was standing beside him.

“I know, It’s just that so many troops are heading out…. I’m worried about the safety of the city.”

“Ah, don’t worry about that. The city guard is well- prepared to face any threat!”

“If you say so…” Aziraphale said, not convinced at all.




The soldiers moved out and war was officially in full swing, bringing a new wave of zeal to Europe. The Pope himself has approved of the campaign, calling the participants the true followers of the ideals of the Crusades.



He King of Castile, maybe more versed in history, has decided not to accept any volunteers into the conflict in order to prevent past unpleasant events.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Naples, 26 February 1508




“Hmmmmm…..” Aziraphale looked upon the pieces on the board. His and Crowley’s pieces were in a state of stalemate- no move could be done that wouldn’t result in one player losing ground. However, one of them had to be the one to lower guard in order to deal the decisive strike.

“Come on, Aziraphale. We might have a whole eternity, but I don’t think this board will last that long!”

“Why are you in such a hurry? I’m thinking about the best play!”

“You’ll lose anyway, you know it.” He said while showing him his forked tongue.

“Oh, yeah? Try this one!” He moved one of his border pieces forward, trying to get Crowley to capture.
The opponent caught the bait- the black piece jumped over the white one and Crowley removed it from the board, proudly placing it by his hand.

“Your move.” He exclaimed.

Aziraphale smiled. Unknowingly, Crowley fell right into his trap- by attacking , he opened himself up for capture. He did just that, getting himself his first black piece.

“Very good…. For you, I mean. Now, let me try this one…”

Crowley moved one of his own pieces forwards. Aziraphale accepted his challenge, bravely moving his own pieces towards Crowley’s side of the board.

The game was fierce and both sides were losing board presence. It looked like one play would decide this match.

Aziraphale was eager to be the one to deal the decisive blow. He moved one of his pieces forwards to meet Crowley’s, hoping to loosen up his ranks.

“How about that?” He said while looking curiously at him. He really didn’t like his expression.

“What? Is it something I’ve done? I don’t see….. oh, wait….” Aziraphale realized exactly what he’s done. “No, no no no nonono!”

By pushing forwards, Aziraphale left holes in his ranks, holes big enough for Crowley to jump through, capturing four of his pieces and placing his at the very opposite edge of the board. He smiled wildly as he turned the black piece upside down, turning it into the queen.

“So, Angel, do we continue this one or will you accept your defeat right now?”

He couldn’t argue- the match was over and there wasn’t much he could do about it. He was furious about his own mistakes.

“Gah! I will defeat you someday, just you wait!”

“I hope I’ll live long enough so see that!”

“Grrr…..” Aziraphale wanted to change the topic as fast as possible. “What about Cezare? Is he asleep?” Crowley was taking care of the young Prince in the afternoon, just when the Queen and the rest of the council had a meeting.

“Yeah, at first he was resisting but I told him a story about Genghis Khan and he slept like a baby, which he is, funnily enough.”

“That’s fine…. Wait, Genghis Khan?! Isn’t he a bit too young?”

“Nah, he likes all the bloody stories. I think he’ll be quite the strategist when he grows up!”

Aziraphale nodded. “I still don’t like it, though. I think I should spend more time with him.”

“Hey, I don’t want to be shafted into the boring Council! Speaking of, how was the meeting?”

“Same old stuff. Our soldiers have landed near Alexandria. The doesn’t appear to be any Mamluk forces nearby.”



“In other news, Brandenburg has a new vassal.”



“Yeah, I’m glad I didn’t come.”

“You could help out sometimes too, you know…”

“hey, I’m taking care of that brat! Isn’t this helping?!”

“Shh…. Not that loud…..” Aziraphale looked around.

“Sorry….. so, another match?”

“What, now?”

“If you don’t want to get your butt kicked just say it….”

‘That’s it, Crowley, you’re going down!”




------------------------------------------------------------



Lady Luck was with Neapolitan troops during that conflict. The fortress of Alexandria fell in May, just short after a second regiment of troops landed in Egypt. Mamluk forces were nowhere to be seen.




In June, a breakthrough happened in army organization, including a new type of cannon, though the changes would be implemented after the war is over to avoid the confusion that could compromise Neapolitan forces. In the same month, the Queen has accepted to finance some dissidents who’d try to disrupt the enemies of Naples.



Meanwhile, Brandenburg continues its winning streak, this time vassalizing Pomerania in August.



Back in the palace, Aziraphale and Crowley were waiting for news from the frontline.




---------------------------------------------------------
Naples, 28 August 1508




The day was rather slow and peaceful. The royal couple were getting ready to depart to Egypt to oversee the war effort. Prince Cezare would stay in Naples under the watchful eyesof Aziraphale and Crowley. The two were enjoying their fleeting free time by sitting at the pond located in the palace fields.

“Wow, Crowley, did you see that?”

Aziraphale was entertaining himself by skipping stones across the pond. The stone he had just thrown jumped whole eight times.

“Ummm, yes, it’s fascinating….” Crowley was more eager to throw stones at ducks and other birds.

“Why are you so grumpy today? The Neapolitan soldiers are winning!”

Indeed, the troops loyal to Queen Gabriele have captured a number of Egyptian cities, including Cairo itself.





“Ah, I’m bored here, Aziraphale. Nothing interesting is happening here!”

“Hey, don’t say that! You get to participate in council meetings!”

Crowley shrugged. “Don’t even remind me….. I’ve been listening about the war between Brandenburg and Anhalt for an hour today…”



Aziraphale pouts. “I think you might have a point. Still, there are more useful diplomatic information. I’ve heard that the Mamluks have made peace with the Byzantines.”



“Yeah, things might start getting serious. “

Aziraphale looked upon the palace. “Do you think it’s a good idea that they’re going?”

“Yeah, probably. Not that I care….. All right, I care a bit….”

He patted Crowley on the back. “See, you can be nice if you try!”

“Thanks, I guess…… now, let’s find the Prince. He’s probably avoiding bathing again…”





Aziraphale and Crowley were starting to transform into real babysitters while news have reach Naples that Austria has embargoed Neapolitan apples, officially claiming moth infestation. Neapolitan citizens responded by eating twice as many apples as they used to and drinking just as many cider, as those statistics are always high in Naples.


I think I might’ve swapped up the countries a bit there.

In Egypt, a first major battle between Neapolitan and Egyptian forces has been fought. It ended in the rout of Egyptian troops. The following pursuit resulted in complete annihilation of Egyptian army.



However, different, more important events were also taking place during that time.

In April of 1509, the Pope has called the College of Cardinals for a secret meeting in Graz, Austria. During this meeting, they discussed the steps they need to take in order to stem the tide of the Reformation.

During the council, many reforms to the administration of the Church were implemented in order to prepare the True Faith for the new century. In addition, several new monastic orders were founded to protect the Pope’s interests.



In merely a decade, the Reformation has made tremendous progress in Europe and many countries were swayed by their promises of reforms and seizure of Church goods. The need for action was dire and it seems that the Pope has made a god call.






----------------------------------------------------------
Naples, 21 September 1509




Aziraphale and Crowley were dead tired, and that’s quite an achievement for them. They were looking after young Cezare the whole day and it was already late when they were finally free.

“Man, I’m tired.” Crowley exclaimed. “Haven’t they mentioned when will the Queen return?”

Aziraphale shrugged. “They were talking about Brandenburg again…..”



Crowley flipped. “What, again?! How many time can to talk about one country! What’s so special about it?!”

“I don’t know, Crowley….” He heard so commotion from the hall. “Wait, there’s some discussion going on…”

Aziraphale went outside to investigate. It turned out to be Chancellor Alfonso.

“Good evening ,Chancellor! Are there any news from the Queen?”

“Indeed there are! Jerusalem itself has fallen to Neapolitan soldiers! It is a great day!”



“Really….. Now, who would’ve thought….”

Crowley peaked outside. “Now, we only have to wait for Queen Gabriele to return….”




With the fall of Judea, it was clear that the allies have achieved all their goals and it’s time to finally end this conflict. Indeed, the peace agreement has been signed in December of 1509. In said agreement the Mamluks released Syria and Armenia as independent states allied to Castille.




You would think that such news would be greeted with joy in the city of Naples, however, the truth was quite different. Many citizens were unhappy by the land grab performed by the Castilians, as well as the lack of gains by Naples. Many of them blamed the Pope for green lighting the escapade in the first place.
All of this has resulted in talks of separation from the Catholic church. The situation in the country was pretty tense, as so far only Naples itself voted for the secession.




It is possible that had the tragedy you’re about to witness did not happen, the country would plunge into civil war.




---------------------------------------------------------------
Naples, 7 January 1510



Aziraphale were standing in the throne room, alongside Chancellor Alfonso, other council members and pretty much everyone notable in the city. Their expressions were quite grim.

“…How did this happen?” Aziraphale asked no one in particular.


“They’ve been sailing back home along with some officers. The storm caught them completely by surprise. It’s a miracle that the bodies were washed ashore, at least we could bring them here….”


He looked at the two caskets located in the middle of the room.

He thought about the young prince, sitting alone in his bedroom, most likely unaware of what happened to his parents.

“You know what that means, Crowley?”

He nodded. “Yes. We’re destined to look after the royal brat for the whole eternity….”


 
It's been a while, hasn't it? I terribly sorry about that – not in the least because I get back to discover that everyone has died in some sticky end. I'm hoping Naples will once again become the beacon of safety and stability we know and love soon for everyone's sake. :D

I'll try my best not to fall so far behind next time, but I'll still be here in any case. As ever, keep up the great work. Your updates continue to be very amusing and entertaining.
 
It's been a while, hasn't it? I terribly sorry about that – not in the least because I get back to discover that everyone has died in some sticky end. I'm hoping Naples will once again become the beacon of safety and stability we know and love soon for everyone's sake. :D

I'll try my best not to fall so far behind next time, but I'll still be here in any case. As ever, keep up the great work. Your updates continue to be very amusing and entertaining.

Thanks, man! I really missed your comments. Indeed, it was hard to see everyone die out so fast, especially since it didn't give me enough time to flesh out the characters. Don't worry, though, we'll probably get some bad rulers who'll stick around for long.

No update this week due to the holidays, sorry. Tune in next week for more!
 
Don't worry, though, we'll probably get some bad rulers who'll stick around for long.

It wouldn't be Naples otherwise!

No update this week due to the holidays, sorry. Tune in next week for more!

I look forward to it. :)
 
Episode 37- Sweden is not OP
WARNING: not appropriate for people allergic to messy borders






Naples, 26 March 1510




Regencies are always a stressful period both for the common folks and the ruling nobles of a country. A throne is being seized by a child barely able to hold a crown on its oversized head and the amount of new responsibilities falling upon the councilors can be staggering. Many are uncertain whether the new king can live long enough to claim the full duties of the crown (and some are quite willing to shorter his lifespan for their own needs…) and the uncertainty of the future can make some people weary.

However, the sudden deaths of so many monarchs has strengthen the resolve of the citizens of Naples and they were all ready to support their King until he comes of age.

Right now, young King Cezare was growing under the watchful eye of the council, including Aziraphale and Crowley. They both agreed to tutor the young ruler rather easily, considering they had experience with educating royal children. Most of their time was now spent either in the council meetings or looking after Cezare. They weren’t complaining- after the insanity of the last few years they were grateful for a moment of peace.



“So, how’s the King feeling today, Crowley?”

Aziraphale approached Crowley in the palace garden. The spring was slowly coming to Naples and the formerly gray fields were slowly turning green and yellow. Aziraphale was wondering what was he doing there- he probably did not come here just for sightseeing, though he didn’t want to question him now.

“Ah, you know, same old….. he’s pretty dim as a student but at least he’s calm.”

“I think you’re a bit too harsh on him. He’s only six years old! I’m sure he’ll grow wiser over the years.”

“I hope so, Angel….. so, how was the council meeting? I missed it.”

“Ah, actually there have been some interesting events discussed. First of all, our colony in Arguin has seen an influx of natives recently….”



“That’s interesting. Thais means we can soon focus on other colonies. Anything else?”

“Indeed. Castile has declared war upon Aragon.”



“Wow, again? It seems like yesterday since that last war ended.”

“Well, it sure feels like it. Anyway, for some reason ,they have requested our assistance in the conflict.”

“Really? Why would they need our help?”

Azuraphale shrugged. “Don’t ask me. Anyway, we decided to agree, since we need the alliance with Castile.”


Seems pretty fair to me.


“Well, we’ll see how that goes.” Crowley stood up. “You’re taking care of the brat tomorrow.”




--------------------------------------------------------



Despite the declaration of war, Naples did not take direct part in this conflict, as it was pretty sure that Castile will deal with Aragon by themselves. After a brief stay in Castile, the Chancellor brought some concerning news. It seems like the Queen of Castile decided to hire an explorer to take a slice of the New World cake. Considering their economic prowess, they are likely to be a major competitor.



The matters of war weren’t the only thing the Council had to deal with. Some Neapolitan nobles were begrudged by their loss of power over the years and have approached the councilors, hoping to exploit the weakness of the country to their own gains. The Chancellor decided to pay them off.



The Council also had a watchful eyes on the foreign affairs. One of the most significant events of the year were the struggles of Sweden. The Scandinavian country, mired with religious strife and wrecked by constant wars was almost completely overwhelmed by its enemies.








---------------------------------------------------------------
Naples, 1 April 1511





Aziraphale took the news about the peace with relief. While it was mostly a formality, as Naples did not take an active part in the war, he preferred peace overall.



Crowley was spending most of the day in the barracks, overseeing the training of the new troops. That left him mostly alone to take care of young Cezare.



While he was grateful that Crowley won’t have as much corrupting influence on the young King, he quickly realized there might not be much in him to corrupt. While Aziraphale was trying to keep an open mind and give the kid a chance, it was being more and more apparent that he’s got nowhere near as much skills as his predecessors.

Aziraphale was trying very hard to teach Cezare about history and literature, but the young one was as thick as a brick and tutoring him was akin to plowing a field in December.

Even though he had no luck in teaching the young King, he could still find some solace in the council meetings. Together with Chancellor Alfonso, they have discussed domestic and foreign affairs. In particular, the Chancellor was concerned with the situation in Scandinavia- Sweden has lost a war against Norway. This swing of power may cause a major shift in the balance of power in the Baltic region.



Now though, Aziraphale decided to toss all of those things aside and take a rest in the local park. He was really surprised to see Crowley there as well.

“Hey there, Crowley! Long time no see.”

“Hey, Angel. Is the council meeting over?”

“Indeed it is. Weren’t you supposed to be overseeing the troops?”

“They are on the leave right now. The military is mourning the passing of explorer Martino Rivani.”



Aziraphale frowned. While captain Rivani was retired for quite some time, he was still considered a hero in Naples. His loss will certainly be a significant blow.

“That’s rough….. it will be hard to replace him.”

“Yeah…… so, how was the day with our young King, Aziraphale?”

“Well, it was……. All right, I guess….”

Crowley smirked. “He’s totally hopeless, isn’t he?”

“That’s not true! He’s….. well….. he’s pretty good at drawing! Especially when it comes to drawing on walls!......” Aziraphale sighed and shrugged. “You’re right……”

“Don’t worry, Angel! We’ll have another Louis! It’s going to be a fun ride!”

“Please don’t say that! HE can’t possibly be THAT dense…..”

“Do not underestimate him. He has de Valois blood in him, after all. That family probably gave anything good it had with Alfonso and Alberto, it seems.”




-----------------------------------------------------------------


Only time will tell if Crowley’s prophecy turns out to be true. Right now, Cezare did not show much potential in him. However, sometimes even unassuming rulers were capable of great things.

Meanwhile, the Council was shocked to hear that yet another Italian nation has fallen prey to foreign aggressors. This time ,Ferrara was annexed by Portugal. While it was bad enough by itself, there was a possibility that the Portuguese might lose it in a war against a bigger threat, possibly doming it to an eternity without the enlightened rule of Naples.



The death of Martino Rivanni was not the end on misfortunes of Neapolitan military. In June, general Vincenzo whose last name was nigh- impossible to remember passed away, leaving the troops without a capable leader.



In November, Sweden decided to surrender to the Scottish, giving away large swaths of territory and creating one royal mess of a map. Suicide rates must be really high amongst cartographers.
Spoiler- tagged for eye- strainingly awful borders. Open at your own risk.






------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Naples, 29 March 1512




“Uncle Aziraphale, when will I be able to ride my own horse into battle?”

Aziraphale shrugged. While he kind of liked when the young King called him uncle, he would prefer if he could focus on his lessons instead of those military fantasies.

“When you’ll get older, you might get that chance, though frankly, I don’t see the point of wars at all. It’s better to be friendly!”

“Then what about the war that is going on right now, uncle Aziraphale?”

“What war?”

“Uncle Crowley said that we are going to kick some Byzantine asses!”

“Wait, he speaks to you with that kind of language? I need to speak to him right away.” He proceeded to leave. “Ah, go ahead to study the Hundred Years War. There will be a test when I come back!” He said to him while he was leaving, making Cazare stick his tongue out at him.



“Oh, yeah, this is quite recent news. Sorry I didn’t tell you about it sooner.”

Crowley was still present in the council chamber. Aziraphale was busy with Cezare so he wasn’t present at the meeting.

“But, wasn’t there a rule: no wars during the regency? The one enforced by the Swedish mafia? Then why are we fighting the Byzantines?”

“Ah, you see, it’s Castile’s fault. The Greeks were foolish enough to declare war on one of their friends. They were kind enough to let us join the party!”



“What exactly are we trying to gain in this war?”

“Fame and glory, what else? And maybe some territorial gains, who knows?”

“You know ,Crowley? We need to talk about some things. I’m worried about your influence on the young Cezare. He seems to only think about battles and armies and conquests…”

“Hey, it’s at least good that he’s interested in something, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, but I prefer my Neapolitan kings to be visionaries….”


“Oh, he’ll be visionary, all right. He’ll invent new ways to paint the Europe purple! Oh, calm down Angel.”


Aziraphale didn’t calm down at all.





----------------------------------------------------------------


The war started out rather smoothly. In a joint effort, Castilian and Neapolitan fleets achieved victory over the Empire, ensuring dominance in the region.



After establishing naval superiority with a ‘small’ help of the Castilans, Neapolitan troops proceeded to execute the main part of the plan: the operation ‘do not let the smelly Spaniards get mah Greek provinces’. Of course, the generals did not share this plan with their allies.

The effects were seen only a year later- Adrianople fell in January of 1513, allowing Neapolitan troops a direct route to Constantinople.



While the council was mostly busy with managing the war effort, it also paid heed to the news from the world. As it seemed, the situation in Italy continued to change, as in January Milan annexed the Venice-in-name-only. The growth of a new possible contestant on the peninsula did not go unnoticed.



February brought some more good news- Serbia has fallen to the troops of loyal vassal of Naples, Serbia (confused yet?).



As Neapolitan onslaught continued, Byzantium was forced to accept harsh peace terms from other nations. In June they were forced to cede Anatolia to
Morocco.



The Queen of Cities proved to be a more difficult nut to crack, lasting over a year, but eventually it fell as well. Neapolitan troops were parading once again on the streets of Constantinople. In the old tradition of Neapolitan military nepotism, veteran officers were showing their sons and nephews pubs, brothels and laundry houses they were attending when they were young.



With the fall of Constantinople, the peace was only a matter of time. Indeed- only two days later Byzantines accepted a peace offer brought forward by Chancellor Alfonso. Adrianople was now a Neapolitan province, happy to provide Naples with fresh stacks of rebels for years to come.



Castile decided to cash in their successes not long after. In their peace deal, they demanded Bithynia as well as a small sum of gold.



The victory parade in Naples was big and glorious. The great country was once again triumphant. However, will always find targets weaker than itself?
Upon the palace balcony, young King Cezare was looking upon all of this splendor and conquest done on his behalf. In his thoughts he was on horseback with his men, leading the parade and listening to all the praises he was receiving.

Right behind him, his two tutors were carefully watching him. One of them looked really pleased with himself. The other, however, was very worried.
 
Episode 38- Coronation Day








Naples, 3 December 1513


“And, so it happens that the recent war between Lithuania and Muscowy is obviously an attempt to contest the balance of power in the region. We have to observe the situation…..”





Aziraphale listened to the ambassador droning about the situation in the East with fleeting focus. He wasn’t very interested in attending the council meeting in the first place so he had to try really hard not to fall asleep. Crowley seemed to fail doing just that, as he could hear him snoring quietly from behind him. He sighed- he hoped they won’t get in trouble because of him.

He was starting to experience a severe crisis of attention so he was very grateful when a sudden distraction arrived. A messenger entered the hall.

“Please excuse my interruptions, my Lords, but I bring important news from the King of Castile.”

“Really? What does the King need of us?”

“The Kingdom of Castile has declared a war upon Bulgaria and is requesting your assistance.”



“Hmmmmm….. All right, tell them they will have our assistance.”



“ Huh…. Did something interesting happen?” Crowley seemed to have woken up. Aziraphale just sighed.



------------------------------------------------------


The Council of Naples wasn’t really interested in engaging in yet another war for Castile, so when the opportunity arose, they accepted an early peace offer from Bulgaria.



The year 1514 brought some well- anticipated advancements in the military field- a new type of wonky but affordable artillery from Bohemia.



The year also brought another conflict in the Holy Roman Empire between Austria and Bavaria. It seemed that Austrian forces were outmatched by the combined armies of the Emperor and Aquileia.




A curious occurrence has taken place in Portuguese Caribbean- during the times of duress in the country, the island of Barbados has become a home to a substantial Jewish community. Time will tell if the trend will continue in other areas of the region.








----------------------------------------------------------------

Naples, 15 August 1520




Over five years have passed since we’ve last left our heroes. King Cezare was growing steadily and though he was spending most of the time with the generals, Aziraphale and Crowley still had lots of work with the boy.

Not much has changed in Europe during that time. England continues its downward spiral and continues to lose more lands to Scotland in hopeless wars.



There has been a reshuffle in the Council of Naples- with Chancellor Alfonso d’ Asburgo departing for a well- deserved retirement, a sufficient replacement was needed. In his place, Leandro Zucchi, an able statesman, was nominated as a Chancellor of Naples.




World has changed significantly but life still goes on- our heroes still have plenty of work trying to tutor our young King.

“…. I don’t think we’re making much progress, Crowley.”

Aziraphale sighed heavily and collapsed upon the futon. He and Crowley have been attempting to stimulate the brain of the young ruler but so far King Cezare was mostly interested in playing with toy swords and wooden horses.

“Don’t worry, Angel, you can’t always have a good king, life would be boring that way!”

“I guess….. still, it feels like a failure to me.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, at least he’s not Caligula. Even Aristotle wouldn’t make anything out of that kid. I guess Louis’ blood could only be suppressed for so long.”

“I don’t know if we picked a good time to return….. pretty much everyone we knew is gone….”

“Yeah, that’s the way of things….. for example, remember Aragon, how scary it was back then?”

“Yes indeed. Now it’s very close to being completely swallowed by Castile.”




Crowley smiled. “Also, England? Back then, they were on the top of the world. Now, total bankrupts! Literally!”



“Guess a lot has changed indeed. The world is moving forwards and new inventions are being made every day….”





“Ahhhh…..” Crowley sipped some wine from his glass. “and people are flocking towards the New World, the land of opportunity! Remember, Aziraphale, when we were pioneers in those uncharted lands?’

“Yes, I do. Nowadays, more countries want to lay claims to those lands. I heard about a new Castilian colony in Guyana…”



“Ah, that’s close to our Brasilian colonies…… we have to be careful about that.”

“Ah, I bet we can coexist peacefully with them! So, Aziraphale…. Fancy a game of checkers?”

“Sure! I’ll defeat you this time!”


“Positive thinking will get you almost everywhere, Angel……”




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Last time we have heard from them, the Byzantines were in serious trouble- after the disastrous defeat at the hands of Naples a few decades ago, the Empire was in steady decline, losing lands to Mamluks, Castile and Neapolitans themselves. However, not all seemed lost- the waning Greeks managed to gain some degree of success in August of 1520 by annexing Crete.



Meanwhile back at home, Naples was facing economic difficulties, as the reigning feudal system of government was growing more and more corrupt and inefficient. It was obvious that existing system could not support the steadily growing kingdom. Sadly, the cost of immediate actions was too big for the budget of Naples, constantly strained by the growing colonial properties.





Speaking of colonial properties, in the second decade of the sixteenth century, twenty years after the great expedition of captain Filippo Savaranola, a first permanent colony was founded on the western tip of what would be known in the future as Neapolitan Brasil. By now, the colony of Urva Mat was a home to almost six hundred souls and was on its way to become a full- fledged city.

A few words need to be said about the name of the colony, which causes some people to stare confused, some to roll their eyes. The village was founded in a very specific place- it was said that in that place landed the first party of Captain Savaranola, the first Europeans to set foot on this land. It is rumored that the first person to set foot was navigator Antoni Dzierżyński, and the village was named after the very first words spoken by him after hitting the shore.
Dzierżyński himself was rather reluctant to explain the significance of the phrase to foreigners- he said, mostly jokingly, that Urva Mat is an old Slavic deity of anger. Some say, though, that the navigator hurt his foot while landing on the shore. We ,may never know for sure.


Regardless of the name, the colony attracted people from around the world and soon the village was too small to contain them all. A new colony site was founded nearby, in Itamaraca, expanding the ever- growing Neapolitan Empire.



With overseas possessions growing so quickly, the Regency Council had to take measures to protect their interests from pirates. Thus, a new decree came through, stating that all the sea charts and maps used by the ship captains need to be officially certified by the Cartographer’s Union.







------------------------------------------------------------





Naples, 9 November 1522



Europe hasn’t changed much in the past few months, besides the death of the last Bavarian Emperor.

The Imperial crown hasn’t meant to go into the Bavarian hands this time- it was surprising as Bavarian emperors were regarded as wise and fair rulers who strived to maintain the balance of power and protect the smaller members of the Empire. Even more surprising, though, was the announcement of his successor.





The crown was going back into the hands of the Habsburgs and many people weren’t very happy about that. Naples had some nasty conflicts with Austria before so the Council was very concerned about that. However, there were more important matters at hand. The first one was the unrest caused by the reform of the feudal system. With travelling restrictions loosened, many peasants were fleeing to the cities, leaving fields unattended and nobles angry.



The councilors had their hands full trying to placate various nobles, but their squabble had to wait. On ninth of November, King Cezare de Borghese- Valois would officially come of age, thus taking his right to rule the kingdom.

Many people were concerned about the new King- some saw him as unworthy of the legacy of the last de Valois, while some said that his ambition will elevate Naples to well- deserved glory. One thing was certain, though- while de Valois were sometimes lacking in certain skills, they were always wise enough to seek guidance in their advisors. Will Cezare be the same?



Only time will tell. So far, the future of Naples seems uncertain and there are some dark clouds gathering on the horizon……










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Sorry for the delay, guys. I had a really unpleasant personal situation, had a lot of work, was tired pretty much all the time for the last two weeks.... I hope you liked what I had for you this time.
 
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Funny story so far. Good job!