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Yay mini culture update! Also, i really really want to see that map. Really.
I have said this countless times before sir, but bravo. Bravo for Baltikja.

Here's a little preview. I am constantly fiddling with it, which is why I haven't released it yet.

LittlePreview.png


You can see a couple of the "Pan" flags. The Pan Balkan colours: Red, Blue, Yellow; the Pan German* colours: Red, Blue, White; the Pan Iranian colours: Red, White, Green...

*"German" is from the point of view of the Caliphate, so basically the non-Iberian regions of the old Caliphate.
 
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*gulp* Thats overwhelming. And it also sheds a ton of light. Thanks.

EDIT: Wait, wait wait. Arabia, Syria and Meccah are Hindu? That must be a heck of a story to tell no? This actually just made me more curious! Damn you Mr. Capiatlist!
 
Quite fun to see the Languedocian Cross in Tunisia... and an inverted United States of Belgium flag in Armenia :p

Nice map, thanks :cool:
 
*gulp* Thats overwhelming. And it also sheds a ton of light. Thanks.

EDIT: Wait, wait wait. Arabia, Syria and Meccah are Hindu? That must be a heck of a story to tell no? This actually just made me more curious! Damn you Mr. Capiatlist!
Bwuhahahahahaha! (So is one of the Egypts).

Quite fun to see the Languedocian Cross in Tunisia... and an inverted United States of Belgium flag in Armenia :p

Nice map, thanks :cool:
I based Armenia's flag off this real one: Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic

I love the Cross of Languedoc, it is visual pleasing, especially with the gold on red.
 
I guess I might as well update...

Bastions
Prologue Two: The Prussians
Part 18


lá, æs naotáj giejá sáóæt.
Yes, I do enjoy beef stew.​

In 1183 the mark of progress were the banners of Prussian merchants. Prussia was hitting its merchant stride, a stride which would last until the 1800s, under the watchful eye of King Sviendorog. Given Prussia's position between East and West and her cordial relations with all her neighbors, Prussia monopolized European trade in the late Medieval era. But they had to be careful to protect their image. Many nations and independent merchants tried to pass themselves off as Prussian, and their goods as legitimate. To combat this and make a profit at the same time, Sviendorog sold merchants state banners. These banners contained a mark of authenticity and could be renewed. Merchants carrying such banners were known far and wide as the purveyors of real goods. The expansion of Prussian shipping also meant the expansion of the timber industry, finally making Finland a profitable venture. But one of the most important exports for Prussia was mead. Prussian Wine flowed under the strictest of regulation. The best barrels were reserved solely for the Prussian King, secondary casks for the nobility, the third ring for the army, and the last batches for sale elsewhere.

Across the Prussian country side roads expanded under the supervision of the Army. Soldiers who would usually be used to fight foreign powers were now used as cheap labor in boosting infrastructure. And every few leagues they erected inns and stables that could be used by anyone, but were mostly meant to station small garrisons. The expansion of roads was also meant with the expansion of river travel. Cities like Kiev and Chernigrád thrived on trade down rivers. The most important of these was the Dnæp (Dnieper). The Dnæp fed the cities of Kiev and Chernigrád, connecting them to the Black Sea and such distant lands as Rome, Egypt and Persia. The port of Morcárgrád grew to be the base of Prussian naval operations in the Black Sea. Relations between the Prussians and the Romans were always fickle. Under the reign of Sviendorog they were warm at least. Sviendorog was half Roman and a second cousin of the Empire's heir. However, after Sviendorog relations would become more strained as the two powers vied for the title "Defender of the Faith" as well as for trade and prestige.

In 1185 Prince Valikaila was found dead. Murder or assassination was the most likely cause, though suicide was suspect as well. Sviendorog did little to find the killer, which makes assassination theories rise, though might give credence to suicide. The Prince and his wife had yet to produce an heir, and many suggested yet to consummate their marriage. With Valikaila out of the picture, all eyes turned on Meinekinus who was studying to become a priest; his hope was to fall out of politics all together. But now he was key to the late-Gunvald's plans. Sviendorog arranged to have him wed to Princess Bozislava. Prince Meinekinus took time to come to accept the idea that he would be King. Some feel that he never really thought of himself as King, rather as a place holder for his son to inherit both Bohemia and Prussia.

In 1188 Meinekinus and Bozislava had a son, Dzintis. Dzintis would grow up to be a interesting character in the Prussian Play, but for now many assumed that the small child would answer the prayers of the Bohemians and forever bind them to Prussia (and Prussia's protection). Around the same time Prussia's south-east border was starting to feel the pressure of the expanding Seljuk Empire. As the Seljuk Empire expanded it displaced native peoples who then went to find new homes. Amongst these were the nomadic peoples of the steppe: the Cumans and Turks. Turkish raiders set up shop in Alania and conducted raids into the Azowian region. An Azowian Prince by the name of Hyg Dormandy, son of Jordan de Normandie, came to Memelgrád seeking to end the raids. His plan did not involve Prussian intervention, rather the end of feudal society in Azowia. The tribal Azowians would then be better able to patrol and defend their lands. King Sviendorog agreed, setting in motion the rise of the Azowian horse lords.

By 1190 much in Prussia had changed. In this year Prince Meinekinus was officially made Prince of Prussia, the heir to the Kingdom, and the second most powerful man in Europe. But even with hundreds of maids offering to cook his food, clean his clothing and make his rooms; Meinekinus rejected it all. He cooked his meals, cleaned himself, wrote his own letters, everything. Meinekinus was a monk at heart, hard working and humble. His new life as a Prince was one that he had shunned and to an extent still did. When the young Prince confronted his father about his apprehensions, Sviendorog put a hand on his shoulder and said, " And thus you'll make a fine King."
 
That's an.... Interesting map. Muslim Sweden-Norway? Most of the ME hindu?

Can't wait to see how that happened :p
 
Oh yes, the Bohemian problem. Dzintis became too bohemian? :p
I am surprised anyone even remembers Dzintis.

That's an.... Interesting map. Muslim Sweden-Norway? Most of the ME hindu?

Can't wait to see how that happened :p
It is an interesting path, but it all stems from a unified Mordvia.
 
Bastions
Prologue Two: The Prussians
Part 19


efæn ien diskusijá, in swiendorog, wors ien kárs.
Even a debate, to Sviendorog, was a war.​

As the tenth year of Sviendorog's fifteen years of peace came to a head, the Saxon nobility in Poland was becoming restless. The landed Saxons thrived on land, their riches and authority determined by who had the most land. But the era of the Saxons was waning. They were a backwards people, clinging to old languages and customs despite the fact (or maybe in spite of) their blood was more and more diluted. Some say that the division between Saxon and Prussian was defined by religion, others say it was the exile of Prince Ælle, but neither group is completely right. The conversion to Greek Orthodoxy was precipitated by Æthelweard and enforced by Eabert, two very Saxon Kings. The exile of Ælle was a hit to the Saxons, but they had eventually moved on to Prince Æthelwulf and later accepted the rise of Prince Gunvald. What it might have been was a spitefulness. The Saxons made up the highest tier of nobility save one spot: the Kingship. And what they could not have they would eventually try to take. The Saxons of the late XII Century are an oft forgotten people. Many maintained some connection to Catholicism, even after eighty years. Their language served as a tribal factor, dividing them from the rest of society. But their tribe was under siege, attacked from all sides by the march of progress and the language of the laymen.

In 1191 five Saxon nobles tried to overthrow Sviendorog and install a noble republic like that in Poland. They were lead by Eadwig de Seagrave, descendent of Æthelstan (Prussia's first marshal). They planned an assassination, one which failed and of course tipped off that the Saxons were not as trust worthy as might first appear. However, Sviendorog had to be gentle. Many in his court, and in the nation at large, blamed the Catholics. Religious tension had been dying down, but in the West tension between Catholic Poles and Orthodox Prussians was slowly simmering. Luckily the assassin was quickly caught and the perpetrators were soon being hunted by the army. With any luck, Sviendorog would solve the problem quickly and quietly before a mass panic turned into a pogrom. The situation was tense, but self control dominated the search. Once the men were found they were executed as traitors, some of the first men to be declared so. By keeping these low-key, executing them in a dungeon without the pomp and circumstance of later executions, Sviendorog prevented the five men from becoming martyrs.

But the damage to the Saxons had been done. Five of their most prominent people were now dead, their lands divided up and handed out to Prussians in an attempt to curb the power of the Saxons. The Saxons also began a new issue for the King, the eternal dance between a monarch and his nobles. This would eventually come to a head in the XIV and later XVI Centuries, but would be a dominating principal behind the throne. In Prussia the King was the sole ruler of the Kingdom. His authority was absolute, but it was still questioned. Many wanted in on the power, especially the nobles. The monarchs main ally, then, was always the middle class. The monarch would often play the merchants and the nobles against one another. The nobles feared the wealth of the merchants would oust them from power, and the merchants coveted the positions of the nobles. By cycling older nobles out for younger blood, the monarch kept himself surrounded by loyal allies. This would eventually spark the civil wars of the XIV Century, though was less important in the civil war of the XVI Century.

Meanwhile, in the West, the Infinite War had its first serious ebb and flow. The French, now joined by a semi-united German rabble, was able to push the Caliph back to Iberia forcing many Muslims out of France and into Africa. The Italians were able to do the same with the peninsula. They set up new Crusader Kingdoms, lead by men deemed by the Pope "worthy of God's Kingdoms on Earth." These included the Kingdom of Sicily, the Kingdom of Catalonia and the Kingdom of Leon. But the Crusaders were divided on who could rule what. Catalonia ruled much of southern France, territory the French wanted back. Sicily found itself more full of Muslims then of Christians; and the Italians did not like a German ruling their land. The Irish and English had taken Leon, but were unhappy when a French man was put on the throne. In fact, Germany had made the most out of the Crusades, despite joining much later than the others. So the stage was set for the Crusades to fail once again for the Christians.

The Egyptians, led by a Shiite, took an all-Shia army into Sicily, quickly over taking the Crusaders and installing an even more stable Muslim government there then there was before. And worse, the Egyptians had pushed all the way up to the city of Rome, recognizing its importance to the Catholics. The Caliphate readily pushed back Leon and Catalonia after it gathered its strength. Leon was wiped out and Catalonia was left as two small tributary states: the City of Barcelona and the County of Savoy. Soon the Muslims marched far beyond their original limits, turning everything around. In 1203 the worst happened, the city of Rome fell to the Muslims sending shock waves throughout Europe. The King of France resigned that day, leaving his nation to anarchy. Many German nobles, especially those near France or in the defunct Crusader states fled to Prussia and the Roman Empire. The Christian world crumbled as Popes and Antipopes sprung up around Europe. But the true Pope fled to the Carpathian mountains, to a fortress granted to him by the Hungarian King. But Catholicism was breaking apart, shattering into bits as people were left to fend for themselves.
 
this is so trippy, I'm just remembering random facts from the story while I'm reading this lol
 
Damn, already 8 pages to catch up with! What are you doing to me man!? At least it will be a good refresher course he? Well, there goes my weekend :D
I'll start reading up after I finish reading "Res Gestae Divi Augusti" by Gaius Julius Ceasar Augustus.