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4

Heaven On Earth

Emperor Michael VII: Fields Of Gold
(Mood Music)

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Indeed, the fortress of Palermo would be too much for the Orthodox army. And Michael VII wasn’t up to the job of sieging the great castle. So he didn’t. He was one of the few reasonable men in the Orthodox army to realize that to attack Palermo was suicide. It was quite possibly, the strongest fortress in all of Europe, second only to Constantinople. In fact, its walls were only a fraction smaller than Constantinople’s. The difference is that Palermo was a full blown military castle, filled with defenses throughout the city, while Constantinople was a metropolis.

So on January 12th 1082, Robert Guiscard and his men met Michael VII at the Strait of Messina to discuss terms. Of course, all of Serbia and Croatia would fall into Orthodox hands. And after heavy negotiations, it was agreed that all the territory the Orthodox currently controlled, southern Italy, would fall into their hands. Both men put their seals upon the parchment and the treaty was set.

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Orthodox gains in the Adriatic War, 1080-1082 AD.

Thousands had died on either side. Indeed the Adriatic War was a bloody one, truly a brutal beginning to Michael VII’s reign. But Michael VII was still determined to raise his popularity. So, upon his return to Constantinople, he gave himself one of the most elaborate triumphs ever seen. Thousands of flower petals were thrown from rooftops as Michael VII and his army marched through the city. The same streets that, two years before, erupted into chaos during Romanos IV’s funeral, now celebrated a victory in war and praised their Emperor. Michael VII was finally accepted by the people of the Empire.

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A mosaic depicting high-ranking Orthodox citizens bringing gifts to the Emperor, during the victory procession.

From 1082 to 1090, Michael VII took a policy of peace and economic growth. He consolidated the lands gained in Serbia and Italy. Serbia was easier to bring into the Empire, as it was already heavily Orthodox. However, southern Italy, with an Orthodox minority, was much harder. Some minor peasant revolts broke out in 1085 and 1086; however these were easily quelled by the local Orthodox militias. By 1090, the Orthodox Empire had been stabilized. Its economy had recovered from the fickle years it had before and there was no sign of war from the east. For now, the Empire was safe. However, there was a hawk coming from the west.
 
Sicily could always be left for later.

The Empire is probably a very important transit route for Euro-Asian trade as long as it's at peace...
 
asd21593 said:
I've changed the update titles from bland "Part One..." to new ones, mostly based off the mood music song titles + fancy new avatar!



comments appreciated,
:) asd


I like the new avatar, but have you seen Montenegros?
It is nearly the same, but much better.
I used that avatar before I found out about Montenegro...

and my new avatar is still better than Morea or Montenegro... :cool:
 
Enewald said:
I like the new avatar, but have you seen Montenegros?
It is nearly the same, but much better.
I used that avatar before I found out about Montenegro...

and my new avatar is still better than Morea or Montenegro... :cool:

Yes, Montenegro has some sort of blue shield in the middle. Maybe I'll change it and see how it looks. Wouldn't wanna be confused with General_BT :p



:) asd
 
asd21593 said:
Yes, Montenegro has some sort of blue shield in the middle. Maybe I'll change it and see how it looks. Wouldn't wanna be confused with General_BT :p



:) asd

Actually it was due to General_BT that I chose Montenegro... :)
 
Enewald said:
Actually it was due to General_BT that I chose Montenegro... :)

Aw, screw it, I just cycled through about 10 avatars within 5 minutes. Nothing compares to the good ole' eagle. I'm keepin' it whether General_BT likes it or not! :D

Is there any way to get a custom avatar without having 3,000 posts?



:) asd
 
asd21593 said:
Aw, screw it, I just cycled through about 10 avatars within 5 minutes. Nothing compares to the good ole' eagle. I'm keepin' it whether General_BT likes it or not! :D

Is there any way to get a custom avatar without having 3,000 posts?



:) asd

I dont know... but I just keep spamming, to get those 3k posts. :p

Maybe beg a mod? :rofl:
 
Are you going to try to convert Italy to Orthodoxy (can you even do that in CK?)?
Good update, I hope Michael VII is as good an emperor as some of his predecessors were.
 
I don't mind the eagle... its fitting for a person writing Byzantine AARs. :)

Glad to see that Michael had the sense to realize when a bloodbath wasn't worth it. With southern Italy under imperial control (and, I'm assuming, in the Imperial desmense) the money should be rolling into Orthodox coffers now. Though I'm wondering who this new threat is... perhaps the Western Emperor?
 
My guess, Hungary.
 
No problem... we'll be waiting when you get back!
 
Glorification Of Saint Draco Rexus, Patron Of Britain And Dragons!

The Glorification Of Draco Rexus​


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Hello again! Let us all congratulate our newest saint, Draco Rexus!

1. Congrutalions, why don’t you start off by telling us a little bit about yourself:
Well, I (Draco Rexus) am a thirty-something married father of three toddlers (age 7 (a.k.a. Chaos), 5 (a.k.a. Havoc) and 3 (a.k.a. Mayhem)) living close to Washington D.C. who works for a large auto insurance company who shall remain nameless lest the corporate cyber-police determine that the Forums are suddenly an inappropriate web-site.

2. Your username is Draco Rexus, I believe that means dragon king is Latin, how did you come up with that?
Well, I have loved dragons since I was a kid, lo these many years past, and kinda awestruck at the idea of dragons. Not those silly cute loveable dragons, mind you, no, I’m talkin’ ‘bout put-the-fear-of-God-in-you dragons. So, it has developed into a sort of nick name that has followed me around since I was a teenager.

3. What was your first experience with Paradox games?
I ran in to EU just before EUII was released, never had a chance to play it but was fascinated by the idea, so when I got a chance to pick up EUII, it was a done deal.

4. How did you discover the forums?
I really didn’t find the forums for awhile, but once I did I lurked for awhile until I obtained the intestinal fortitude to register and the rest is, as they say, history.

5. Do you remember your first experience here?
I recall getting caught up in a AAR by SecretMaster, the falling under the spell of Storey, Farquharson and coz.

6. Your AAR, For King And Country, is a true HoI classic and massive work, tell us a little bit about it:
I am a blatant Anglophile and always have been, being captured by tales of the Royal Navy during the time of Nelson. I have always had ideas floating around in my head of counterfactual Empire from several different points of divergence. I chose HoI2 ‘cause it just happened to be the game I was playing with in the Paradox stable when the latest idea struck, working with an Empire that was a lot stronger than in RL, and the rest is, well, history.

7. Are you surprised at how successful and lengthy it has become, even though it’s only covered a relatively small piece of gameplay?
Oh hell yes! Well, I'm not surprised on how lengthy it is, 'cause I've always had the ability to keep going on on with a story (something my wife and friends teasin' me about for years), but I'm honestly surprised that I've been able to produce something that has created such a fan base. For that I'm truly honored.

8. Do you have any influences in your AAR writing?
Big time! The AARs of Director, Mettermrck, Rensslaer, stnylan, CatKnight, coz, Lord E, Hardraade, Judas Maccabeus, and TheExecuter, but outside influences are just as varied. I like Tom Clancy for “techno-thrillers”, David Eddings, Ed Greenwood, R.A. Salvatore, Glen Cook and Robert H. Howard for fantasy, David Weber, David Drake, David Brin, Ben Bova, and Timothy Zahn for sci-fi. I also love Robert B. Parker’s Spenser for Hire. So, as you can see, my tastes are many and varied.

9. Do you have any advice for other AAR writers?
The same that most would give: give your writing a chance, listen to and learn from constructive criticism, and remember that writing is hard work but it can be the most fun at the same time.

10. What do you like most about AARs and AAR writing?
Being able to bring to life an entirely different reality and have it be believable to my readAARs!

11. What do you like most about Paradox, both the games and forums?
Same as above, Being able to bring to life an entirely different reality and have it be believable.

12. Do you have any favorite AARs out there?
The works of Director, Mettermrck, Rensslaer, stnylan, CatKnight, coz, Lord E, Hardraade, Judas Maccabeus, and TheExecuter.

13. Do you have any favorite experiences on the forums?
The interaction between readAARs, writAARs and LurkAARs. Also, being awarded the WritAAR of the Week and the several AARland awards.


Once again, let us all congratulate Saint Draco Rexus on his glorification,



:) asd
 
And so the ranks of the saint grow...