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Avindian

People's Commissar of the Navy
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Jan 3, 2010
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Hello and welcome! Although I suspect most of you will already know about the first part of this megacampaign, some of you may not. If you find yourself with time on your hands, you can read it in all its original glory. Several of the images are no longer working; I apologize, but the originals have long since gone. If you don't have time to read it, however, I'll make an effort to make the narrative elements logical to people who have not read the original. I can't promise you'll get all the jokes, but that is the sacrifice we must be willing to make. :)

A quick synopsis: I played CKII with the Hvitserk dynasty (County of Jorvik). I built an impressive empire until it completely fell apart. People were chopped into tiny bits, Christians were sacrificed to pagan gods, it was a good time for all (except, I suppose, the people being chopped and/or sacrificed). The Norse religion expanded to much of northern Europe and a decent bit of Spain before the ex-Empire of Britannia unexpectedly and surprisingly imploded.

I will have a proper prologue up soonish (once the HOI3 AAR is finished for certain, possibly sooner). In the meantime, though, I can give you the boring setup stuff. My "official" country in this AAR will be Denmark, but obviously the map will look quite different.

I'm playing with EUIV 1.15.1, the most recent version that gives me a stable experience with an outdated save. I have Wealth of Nations, Art of War, Res Publica, and Conquest of Paradise. I know that playing without Common Sense (hah!) is considered suboptimal, but I'm prepared to risk it.

House rules
1. No save scumming.
2. No cheating.
3. Nothing "gamey."
4. No converting to any religion other than Norse.
5. Converting to the Western Tech Group (we start as Eastern) is permitted, but not mandatory. I will avoid it unless players tell me that I'm foolish for doing so.
6. No forming any nation other than Scandinavia.
7. I will only take territories that I have cores/claims on or are necessary to form Scandinavia/reunite the British Isles. I can only make claims on Norse nations (or non-Norse nations needed to achieve my goals).
8. Vassalizing other countries is permitted, but they cannot be integrated until/unless they become Norse. I will use this sparingly.
9. No governments more representative than Constitutional Monarchy.

Goals
1. Reunite the British Isles.
2. Form Scandinavia.
3a. Add all Norse territory to Scandinavia.
3b. Spread the Norse faith to the New World.

3a and 3b are not mutually exclusive, but it is unlikely I will be able to do both.

I think that's all the introductory stuff for now. I'll post a proper prologue, as I said, in the not too distant future. I have no idea what kind of update schedule I'll be able to maintain, but I will do my best to play/update once a week. Enjoy!
 
Table of Contents

Prologue

The reigns of Odd II and Guttorm, King of Denmark
Chapter 1: 1444 to 1468
Chapter 2: 1468 to 1475

The reign of Iliana, Queen of Denmark
Chapter 3: 1475 to 1490

The reign of Alfridh 'the Great', Queen of Denmark
Chapter 4: 1490 to 1506
Chapter 5: 1506 to 1528
Chapter 6: 1528 to 1546

The reign of Gunnar 'the Lost', King of Denmark
Chapter 7: 1546 to 1559

The reign of Olav, King of Denmark
Chapter 8: 1559 to 1572
Chapter 9: 1573 to 1600

The reign of Sigtrygg, King of Denmark
Chapter 10: 1600 to 1611
Chapter 11: 1611 to 1634

Chapter 12: 1634 to 1821
 
Last edited:
Subscribed!
 
Yay!
 
*sits with patient interest :3 *
 
Alright, I'm in.

Fantastic!

I'm thinking about how to handle the prologue post/first update. I might write a short narrative chapter (with a couple of maps) that will bridge the gap between the AARs and then do the traditional OOC "first moves" post. I might squeeze everything together; I dunno. We shall have to see.
 
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Prologue: The first steps towards greatness

Many a scholar has written about the Hvitserk influence on modern day politics. Ever since Halfdan Whiteshirt took position of the city of Jorvik, later corrupted to "York", the Norse religion has been a force to be reckoned with. Norse warriors screamed and charged into battle, while Norse politicians ordered the deaths of those unfriendly to the regime. Christians and Muslims whispered in fear about the savagery and brutality of raids all over Europe. Once, the Hvitserks held an Empire that stretched across Europe, able to burn cities like Rome, Constantinople, and Paris with impunity.

Those days--the Empire of Britannia--ended with a crash in 1350, when Halfdan V died and his possessions were dashed to the four winds. Suni III, later known as Suni the Great, was able to reunite some portions of the former Empire into the fledgling Kingdom of Denmark. Two later rulers, Odd I and Odd II, made some minor gains of their own. Yet Odd II and his heir, Guttorm, were men of vision. Odd II's bloodlust and borderline madness were quelled by his son. With an eye to the future, father and son began to rebuild their realm and cast their eyes on the former Empire they once knew. It would no longer be called Britannia; it would be called Scandinavia.

For the Kingdom of Denmark to attain those heights, however, first it needed to consolidate its control over the British Isles. As November 1444 opened, Odd II, King of Denmark, sent an emissary to the King of Sweden, Bertil V of House Jute, as a way to secure a powerful friend in the short term. Wessex, Gwynedd, and Flanders were all marked as likely targets in the early stages of the restoration of Danish power.

ovmNEs.jpg

Odd II and his son Guttorm, 11 November 1444. The line of Hvitserks extended far beyond the borders of Denmark, but many were either too small or feared Danish intentions. Ossor II of Norway was particularly paranoid and suspicious of Denmark.

4Boq2x.jpg

A map of the dynasties of Europe. The Hvitserks are colored reddish-pink, for the consecrated blood which watered their fields.

WZZtFG.jpg

An internal document which revealed whom Odd II and Guttorm considered "rivals" of their Kingdom. Most of the world feared and/or hated the Norse, a mistake they would pay for in time.

EVn7et.jpg

A rare map from the desk of Guttorm, Prince of Denmark, who managed much of the realm's foreign policy. His agents in Sweden suggested that they would favorably respond to an alliance.

K6wYSY.jpg

The formerly British Isles, now fractured into multiple kingdoms. Denmark controlled Irland and much of northeastern England, as well as Cornwall and parts of Wales. The brownish lands belonged to Gwynedd, the reddish to Wessex. Norway held the city of London and the former Jarldom of Kent and much of Skotland. Oxfordshire was the domain of the Jarl of Oxford. Flanders held Lincolnshire. Florence held Derbyshire and the area northwest.

Domestically, however, Odd II faced a budgetary crisis. His military ambitions were sure to be expensive, with a fleet of 24 ships and 15,000 soldiers already under arms. However, he thought that he could absorb those losses if it meant annexing Gwynedd, Wessex, and the areas of Flanders he coveted. The basic theory was simple: build an economic base and find regional allies to eventually take London and Kent from Norway. Even if it meant abandoning Hvitserk positions on the Continent, Odd II needed a united realm. Initially, he thought to convert the Muslim of Finistere to the Norse gods, but eventually decided to release them as an independent nation. The lands of the Hvitserks, even at their logical extent, would never produce many souls, so Odd II and Guttorm needed a technological advantage. They needed well trained soldiers who would not hesitate to engage superior odds, as they would likely find those odds.

97ZwwW.jpg

A detailed list of long-term plans for the Kingdom of Denmark. Odd's decision to convert Finistere to the Norse religion was shortly thereafter checked, prior to Odd's change of heart.

rx1DXw.jpg

The somewhat disconcerting bank balance of the Danish Kingdom, which does not include the 610 thalers already in the coffers. Such a sum could probably support Danish war efforts for years to come.

2uuz5w.jpg

The Danes were no smarter than their neighbors, but Odd II planned to change that if he could.

FLihW1.jpg

The military strength of Denmark.

Ze04Dj.jpg

The independence of Finistere as the Kingdom of Bourbon.

Odd II and Guttorm had differing opinions about the financial viability of the Kingdom of Denmark in the long run. Odd II, like his forebears, planned to finance conquest via conquest. He would hire mercenaries, if necessary, to take Lincolnshire, but beyond that, the natural expansion of Denmark would fuel further expansion. Guttorm, on the other hand, believed that finding other means of finance would be vital to the success of Denmark. Guttorm opened some of the first temples to Freya to pray for her beneficence in efficiently taxing the population and convincing more to become soldiers. He hired Kare Rolland, a disaffected Norseman living in predominantly Islamic Finisterre, to help manage the economy. Rolland advised sending Norse merchants to secure lucrative deals in the North Sea and English Channel. While Bordeaux had originally been the home of one of the merchants, the natural trade dominance of Denmark would allow them to capture a greater percentage of North Sea profits, which were certain to grow over time as Danish power did.

1hXx4n.jpg

Danish trade missions before the sending of a new agent to the North Sea provinces.

wKZULg.jpg

Guttorm's decision to adopt Freya as the patron god of Denmark was not without controversy, as both Odin and Tor were feared by many. However, the appearance of Odin in the past had seemed to court disaster, as most rulers who saw him in the flesh died or went mad. Tor was purely a war god, but Freya offered more benefits in both war and peace.

XdD5Ro.jpg

Kare Rolland, advisor to Prince Guttorm and an important force in the economic life of the nation.

In order to win these domestic concessions, however, Guttorm conceded the importance of warfare for the near-term survivability of Denmark. He gave his blessing to an invasion of Flanders as soon as Danish emissaries were available. Guttorm also scoured Danish lands for the finest military mind he could, selecting Olafr Rannveig, a battle scarred veteran of many wars. An infantryman's infantryman, Rannveig got the most out of his men, encouraging constant drills and emphasizing speed and raw power. He had some experience with charges, but not enough to make him a proponent of cavalry.

Much more controversial was the overall strategic path that the new Marshal of Denmark suggested: a focus on training the individual soldier up to the highest standards of quality that Denmark could produce. The King wanted to improve the overall offensive capability of armies, while Guttorm favored attaining military superiority through superior education and innovation. For the immediate future, there was little that could be done, but all three ideas were debated and discussed throughout the course of the 15th century.

d2TXl3.jpg

Olafr Rannveig, Marshal of the Kingdom of Denmark.

RstZZu.jpg

Ideas of Innovation, Quality, and Offense were championed by Prince Guttorm, the Marshal Rannveig, and King Odd II, respectively.
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We close this first of many updates with two maps; the first is a religious map of the world (gray is Norse), while the second is a general political map of the world.




I don't know what my update schedule will be, but I'm going to try to have each chapter cover one monarch, if multiple chapters are not required. If you have any ideas or suggestions, I'd love to hear them! Until then, I hope you enjoyed the prologue; there is more to come!
 
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Well I was certainly right. So much border-gore. It's hard to tell what's going on in all that mess. I hope the AI starts swallowing up the smaller states to clean things up. :p

I was wondering what lands you'd start with. Having all of Ireland and a decent piece of England certainly gives you a good base to work with, certainly better than your neighbours.
 
The Hvitserk are back !

Nice prologue, I hope you will clean those atrocious borders. Good luck with this second part ! :)
 
That's a much stronger starting base than I had feared you'd have to start with. It looks like Norway's the big threat to reuniting the Isles.
 
That's the most Balkanized Europe I've ever seen. No real big blobs outside of the Timurids, Hungarian, or Ruthenians, and each of those three are going to start running into problems projecting their power soon.

Norse Vinland plox?
 
The Norse faith is strong, and you seem to have a relatively strong start in comparison to your neighbours. Although I must join the other commenters in that those borders are awful and will hopefully get more clean and tidy soon.
 
Well I was certainly right. So much border-gore. It's hard to tell what's going on in all that mess. I hope the AI starts swallowing up the smaller states to clean things up. :p

I was wondering what lands you'd start with. Having all of Ireland and a decent piece of England certainly gives you a good base to work with, certainly better than your neighbours.

Yeah, Ireland is a big key to my future success, I agree.

Having such a mess makes future developments (AI-wise) quite unpredictable. Let's see where this will go. There is also the interesting financial situation right off the bat. :)

I can tell you that thus far, the AI has been aggressive!

The Hvitserk are back !

Nice prologue, I hope you will clean those atrocious borders. Good luck with this second part ! :)

I will certainly do my best. :)

That's a much stronger starting base than I had feared you'd have to start with. It looks like Norway's the big threat to reuniting the Isles.

I genuinely thought I'd be an OPM, or at best 2PM. A pleasant surprise, to be sure.

That's the most Balkanized Europe I've ever seen. No real big blobs outside of the Timurids, Hungarian, or Ruthenians, and each of those three are going to start running into problems projecting their power soon.

Norse Vinland plox?

I will do what I can! :)

The Norse faith is strong, and you seem to have a relatively strong start in comparison to your neighbours. Although I must join the other commenters in that those borders are awful and will hopefully get more clean and tidy soon.

It would be hard for them to be less tidy!

So, a quick update: I've played about five years into this campaign and it is going to be something of a slog to get through the first fifty years or so -- fair warning. Not sure when I'll update, but probably not for a bit.