Well, I was just reiterating what the Black Death did in real life with the end of feudalism initially, but I never thought about changing government type for EU4. Maybe I will consider that...
The Hohenzollern Empire: A Roman Reich Megacampaign (Image Heavy)
- Thread starter zenphoenix
- Start date
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Damn, it's hard to keep up with your updates. They're so long and plentiful. 
Hopefully the Black Death strikes down some Aztecs too.
Hopefully the Black Death strikes down some Aztecs too.
Chapter 8: The Stag
“I was only a little over sixteen when I found the White Stag. I was full of excitement at having hunted down the legendary animal. There it was, cornered between two rocks. It looked at me with these big eyes, and I saw the intelligence within them. Show me a picture of those eyes without telling me whose eyes those are, and I will tell you that they are those of a human. There was one thing that stood out about this White Stag. It had this mark on its side, which looked vaguely like a double-headed eagle.”
-Saint Wilhelmina, in her memoirs
“Only two have ever found the White Stag: Saint Wilhelmina and my father. I will be the third!”
-Sigismund I “the Holy”
Sigismund galloped through the forest on his horse, his hounds not far behind him. “Schnell!” he shouted repeatedly.
Ahead of him bolted a magnificent stag, its fur completely white. It had eluded him for several long and arduous weeks now. It would not elude him any soon.
He loaded an arrow on his bow and carefully aimed at the beast. The movement of his horse through the thick growth made it hard for him to keep his balance, much less aim.
“Concentrate, child,” said a voice next to him.
He glanced over to his left, where a young woman in a hunting outfit rode on a white horse, a crown on her head.
“I found the White Stag as a child, when I was much younger than you,” said Saint Wilhelmina, “Why can’t you?”
“Because I’m not you,” replied Sigismund.
“Don’t say that!” snapped Wilhelmina. “We are family. We are blood. You can do this, if I could do it at seventeen. Just concentrate.”
Sigismund blinked, and she was gone.
He turned back to the stag and almost cursed. The beast had increased its lead and was now further than ever. Luckily he had regained his focus now or he would have lost it again.
He drew back the string of his bow, aimed, and took a deep breath. Then he released.
The arrow flew through the air in a graceful arc, barely avoiding bushes and branches in its way. Just when he thought it missed, he heard the stag cry out and begin limping away painfully, the arrow sticking out from its side.
It limped into a corner between two rocks and collapsed, unable to move. The hounds closed in, trapping it where it lay. Sigismund dismounted and drew his knife, advancing on the creature. It looked at him with wide eyes, intelligent eyes. The Kaiser noticed the double-headed eagle-shaped mark on its side, slightly stained by the blood shed from the arrow wound. It must be an omen of glory and victory, he thought.
He raised the knife, ready to kill the animal. The stag stared at him, almost pleading. Then he realized something—this was the same stag that Saint Wilhelmina hunted. How it had lived for so long, he did not know. But he couldn’t and wouldn’t kill it.
He dropped his knife and pulled the arrow out of the stag’s side. He helped the stag to its feet. The white-furred animal started off into the forest. It looked back at him briefly, its eyes showing thankfulness for Sigismund’s mercy. Then it vanished into the woods again.
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Ah, the White Stag. I still haven't ever come across it. I like the decision to spare it though. Shows that the Kaiser isn't ruthless.
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Chapter 9: Sigismund the Holy and the Dragon of Marrakech
(Chapter dedicated to the passing of my old signature, cut down to size on mod's orders)
“1301: A dragon appeared in the city of Marrakech”(Chapter dedicated to the passing of my old signature, cut down to size on mod's orders)
-Sigismund’s chronicler (who may or may not have been drunk when he wrote this)
“Seriously, why is there a dragon in Marrakech, of all places?!”
-Sigismund I “the Holy”
“Once there was a man who was protecting a ring and some gold. It happened that this ring and this pile of gold was also cursed, and the man turned into a dragon. The hero Sigurd (not me) decided to kill this dragon after it killed some colleagues of his. He forged an incredibly sharp sword, and with the help of Odin he slew the beast and bathed in its blood, becoming invincible and able to understand the language of birds. His son-in-law was Ragnar Lodbrok, our ancestor. Thus we are descended from the great dragon-slayer himself!”
-Fylkir Sigurd II of Scandinavia
Marrakech, 1301
It was just another day in the city of Marrakech, the capital of Provincia Mauretania. A merchant woke up, got dressed, and did his morning prayers to the Spirits, prostrating himself in the direction of Timbuktu. That being done, he left his house and headed to the city bazaar, where he sold cabbages. He reflected on the falling star he had seen yesterday.
Just when he had finished setting up his display of cabbages on his small wooden stall, there was a loud roar from the sky, followed by a fireball slamming into the center of the bazaar. Everybody scattered and screamed as a large beast descended from the sky and began wreaking havoc on the city. It was winged, scaled, and breathed fire from its mouth.
It was a dragon.
Of course, the merchant didn't care much about the giant reptilian monstrosity rampaging through the city. "MY CABBAGES!" he screamed as he realized his cabbages had been incinerated.
Outside the city
"Wait, you're saying a dragon attacked the city?" Sigismund said.
"Yes," said the panicked mayor. "Didn't you see and hear it?"
"A dragon."
"Yes."
"Dragon."
"WHY WOULD I MAKE ALL OF THIS UP, YOUR MAJESTY?!"
"Calm down, mister mayor, I'll get this sorted out sooner or later," Sigismund assured him.
He turned to the twenty thousand men of Legion XIV von Mauretania behind him. "Soldiers of Christ, today we shall slay a dragon!"
All of them cheered.
The Fourteenth Legion marched towards the Atlas Mountains, where villagers said the dragon had retreated to after its rampage. Sigismund rode at its head, sword at his side.
Some soldiers were wondering if the dragon had looted some gold or stolen a princess, but from what the witnesses could say none of that happened. The Queen of Mauretania even made a public appearance to crush rumors of her abduction by the dragon.
"Bloody reptiles," Sigismund muttered, "Saint Wilhelmina never had to deal with this."
"Who ever said I didn't fight a dragon?" replied Saint Wilhelmina, riding next to him.
"AAAHHH!" screamed Sigismund, causing some soldiers to stare at him. "Can't you see I'm busy right now? Why do you have to appear so suddenly?!"
"I apologize for that, but Sigismund, let me tell you something," Wilhelmina said, "The reason why I didn't kill the dragons was..."
"You didn't encounter any," said Sigismund.
"...dragons don't exist," said Wilhelmina.
Sigismund was silent. "But there's a dragon that rampaged through Marrakech just a day ago..."
"Who said that was a dragon? If something looks like a dragon, acts like a dragon, and does what a dragon does, is it a dragon? You do know that dragons are from ancient pagan mythologies, do you?"
Sigismund coughed. "Saint George."
"I don't want to reiterate my point. Just because it has all of the qualities of a dragon does not make it a dragon."
"That's just...crazy. Then what are we fighting?"
Sigismund found himself talking to air.
"Sir," said a soldier, "Are you okay?"
"Yes, thank you, I'm fine," replied Sigismund.
They arrived at the mountain the dragon was rumored to be hiding in. They found a large dragon-sized cave with burn marks at its entrance and assumed the dragon was inside.
Sigismund ordered the Fourteenth Legion to set up defenses around the cave; nobody gets in, nobody gets out. They brought every piece of equipment with them: siege weapons, catapults, etc. There were even mounted heavily armored kataphraktoi there. Sigismund was not taking any risks with this "dragon," whatever it was.
There was a roar from inside the cave. Sigismund pointed to the eleven nearest soldiers. "You eleven, follow me into the cave."
They all complied, and the twelve men advanced into the darkness.
Sigismund drew his sword as some men took out torches. Everything was so silent that the sound of his breath was deafening. Deep in the cave was the sound of dripping water...and something really large shifting its position.
"Careful men, the beast could be anywhere," Sigismund whispered, "We must be ready to--"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" screamed a soldier behind him as the beast burst from the shadows, claws drawn and jaws open.
"Or that," Sigismund said.
"RUN!!!" shouted another soldier, dropping his shield and running.
"Wait!" ordered Sigismund, but they all ran and abandoned him to the dragon.
"Well, this sucks," he said, raising his shield and sword.
The dragon lunged at him, fire spewing from its mouth. Sigismund also charged at the beast, his sword pointed at the creature.
The beast let loose a stream of blue flames from its mouth. Sigismund hid behind his shield, which deflected the superheated flames but began melting under the intense heat. Luckily the dragon stopped breathing the fire at that moment.
"Blast," said Sigismund, dropping his shield. "Come on, beast, servant of Satan, fight me!"
He charged, and the dragon charged.
The dragon swiped with its claws, but Sigismund dodged them and slid underneath the dragon, stabbing upward repeatedly. The sword pierced the thick scales of the dragon surprisingly easy, easier than expected. Out spilled...small strings?
Before the dragon moved, he saw sparks flying between the strings and metal contraptions inside the "dragon."
So Saint Wilhelmina was right, he thought.
He crawled out and stood up behind the dragon. Before the dragon had any time to react, he leaped on its back. The monster thrashed and rammed itself against the cave walls, but Sigismund clung on tightly. He raised his sword and readied himself.
The blade fell.
(The Dragon's point of view)
.
..
...
....
.....
......
Boot.
System.out.println("Initiating scans of surroundings.");
for (int i = 0; i < environment.size(); i++) {
if (scan(environment.element(i)) == threat) {
}plasmaBurst(i);
} else {ignore();
}System.out.println("Scan complete. Indigenous sentient life forms destroyed.");
checkSystems();
Error: armor compromised.
Error: unknown object in flight apparatus.
Error: IllegalArgumentException: cannot define i / 0
Checking diagnostics
Resolving errors
Errors not resolved
Errors not resolved
eradsfdno taaresloved
asdfdsaghkagl;jvbdsfgjaiskfjdsa f;vjaf;lkjsdmfn;ajdsm cajmf'jmadsf
.....
....
...
..
.
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Well then... that was different. So we have a robotic dragon. I really can't even attempt to guess what that means for the future, seeing as that would be advanced technology for the V2 era.
Chapter 10: Bicentennial
“Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears! For centuries, two great empires and two great peoples have both claimed that they are the rightful heirs of the ancient Imperium. The Germans were crowned by the Pope as Kaisers of Rome, and the Greeks have their own reasons. For centuries, both empires have been vicious rivals, each labeling the other a pretender to the glory that was Rome. Let it be known that today all of this will end. No longer will the Germans and the Greeks have to argue over who is the true Rome. No longer will Europe and Christendom suffer under the barbarian yoke. For today, I, as Kaiser of the Germans and Basileus of the Greeks, declare that the two empires be united as one, so that both empires, both Greeks and Germans, can proudly boast that they are equally the heirs of Rome. For today, the Römisches Reich is reborn! Ave Roma!”
-Kaiser Friedrich II “the Great,” first Kaiser of the Reich, on 3 April 1105
“It may have been Friedrich II who finally united the Reich, but let us not forget the men before him whose efforts allowed him to unite east and west. Friedrich the Great is the founder of our nation, though he was never August Kaiser of Rome. Heinrich I Salian, though he was not one of our family members, was instrumental in the conquest of Afrika and the collapse of Islam.”
-Saint Wilhelmina
On 3 April 1105, Friedrich II was crowned Emperor of the Romans by the Pope and by the Ecumenical Patriarch. The grand ceremony and coronation was the result of forty years of hard work by his grandfather, Friedrich I “the Great,” and Kaiser Heinrich I Salian of the old Holy Roman Empire. Who would have known in 1066 that the descendants of a lowly Duke of Brandenburg would become rulers of the known world?
(earliest picture I could find of Duke Friedrich of Brandenburg)
It all started with an insignificant duke, who lived in Berlin and ruled over a population that was majority Old Slavic. One day in September of 1066, he claimed to have received a voice from God telling him that his family was destined for greatness. The next day, he renamed himself “Friedrich von Hohenzollern.”
A few years later, the Seljuks conquered Baghdad and began forcibly converting the population to Zoroastrianism. Islam reacted violently to that, and Caliph al-Mustansir began to call for a great jihad against the infidels. This in turn triggered the pagan Great Holy Wars, the first of which was a Norse crusade targeting Friedrich I, who had become King of Germany, and the second of which was a Slavic crusade for the same kingdom.
In response to the pagan and Muslim aggression, in 1074 the Pope called a crusade for Jerusalem, which Friedrich eagerly joined. A crusader army of twenty thousand men, led by Duke Friedrich von Hohenzollern of Saxony, Duke Werner von Habsburg of Thuringia, and King Friedrich I of Prussia set out for the Holy Land by sea in May 1074. A second German mercenary army marched over land to the Holy Land as auxiliary forces, only to be wiped out by the Caliph’s armies almost immediately.
King Friedrich I stormed the city of Beirut, capturing it for Christendom. Then he ran into a large Fatimid army which almost devastated his forces. Luckily, he and much of his army survived the Muslim onslaught and then engaged a smaller army that was personally commanded by the Caliph himself.
In what can only be described as
Meanwhile, Kaiser Heinrich I Salian was busy conquering North Africa, the Italians, and the Pope himself. By the time he was cruelly murdered by his wife and spymaster and Friedrich was elected the new Kaiser, the Holy Roman Empire had conquered all of Italy from the republics and the Pope and much of North Africa from the Muslims.
Now Kaiser, Friedrich made preparations to place a Hohenzollern on the Greek imperial throne. He married his son Wilhelm off to a minor princess of the Doukas family before invading the Greeks and installing her on the throne. His plan was for his grandson, Friedrich II, to succeed to the thrones of both the Holy Roman and Eastern Roman empires.
That didn’t go as planned, as Kaiserin Anna I Doukas “the Usurper” died after a short illness, followed by Wilhelm in 1102, leaving an infant Friedrich on the throne in Constantinople. Luckily, the regents were fiercely loyal to Friedrich II and didn’t mess around during Friedrich’s fifteen long years of regency.
While Friedrich I waited for his grandson to come of age, he launched invasions of Pomerania, Poland, France, Egypt, and Hungary. He then ordered the Pope to call for the Second Crusade against the Caliph to liberate Egypt, which he easily won. After that, he ordered the Third Crusade called for the liberation England from the Norse. That he also won easily.
Friedrich I died on 14 March 1105, and Friedrich II, finally of age and Kaiser of the Greeks, ascended the throne of the Holy Roman Empire. Three weeks later, he was crowned August Emperor of the Romans in Constantinople.
His first decree as the undisputed Kaiser of Rome was to move the imperial capital to Berlin, which was overhauled and rebuilt in a manner befitting of an imperial capital. By the end of the reign of Saint Wilhelmina, Berlin was the second-largest city in Europe, after Constantinople. Its walls were as large and tall as those of the Greek city, and citizens came from all over the Reich to study in its universities. Throughout the city buildings were constructed with a mix of Greek and German influences. It was said that Berlin had the marble colonnades of Rome, the imposing Gothic cathedrals of Aargau, and the huge domes and walls of Constantinople.
Friedrich II went on a conquering spree after his power was consolidated. Mauretania, controlled by the West African Spirit Guardians, fell first to the legions. Next went Arabia, in the Fifth Crusade, with Fatimids crushed by simultaneous invasions from the Zunist Punjab Sultanate and the Reich (nobody talks about the Fourth Crusade, in which the Pope madly launched an invasion of Perm). Then went Ireland and Scotland, both too disorganized to resist the Roman advance. Then came the conquest of northern Hispania, followed by the Sixth Crusade against Norse Andalusia (Saint Gunhilda appeared around this time). Finally, Friedrich had restored the imperial borders in just over a decade of war.
(It obviously failed, after five years and hundreds of thousands of casualties on the Reich side, including the Pope himself. The Kaiser himself refused to participate.)
Two hundred years later, Kaiser Sigismund I ordered triumphs to be held in all major cities to commemorate the two-hundredth anniversary of the Reich's founding. Millions of people watched the victorious legions march through the main streets of Berlin, Constantinople, and Rome, proclaiming to the world the glory that is Rome.
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nice introduction to the forming of the Reich, gj.
keep up the tidy work and all the best to next update.
keep up the tidy work and all the best to next update.
MY CABBAGES! (Of course you did. )
And of course in this universe where several religions had a stronger following than reality and the Aztecs invaded we now have a automised dragon (Using a for loop to determine everything. Neat.(And yes, I get that's from your sig. Just got thinking about the loop while reading)). Have to wonder what's the cause of this. Also, Sigismund is a little concerning considering he has his insecurities in the form of ancestors popping in now and again. Maybe a potential issue in future?
Great last few chapters, still reading as usual. Also nice to see a flashback chapter (And 60 years to hold all of Rome? Holy Roman Crap that's impressive).
)And of course in this universe where several religions had a stronger following than reality and the Aztecs invaded we now have a automised dragon (Using a for loop to determine everything. Neat.(And yes, I get that's from your sig. Just got thinking about the loop while reading)). Have to wonder what's the cause of this. Also, Sigismund is a little concerning considering he has his insecurities in the form of ancestors popping in now and again. Maybe a potential issue in future?
Great last few chapters, still reading as usual. Also nice to see a flashback chapter (And 60 years to hold all of Rome? Holy Roman Crap that's impressive).
A robotic dragon? I suppose that's just as nonsensical as an Aztec invasion of Europe, and that's an actual DLC.
I'm hoping we get to hear much more about Wilhelmina. She was clearly an influential woman in the Reich's history and her appearance as been all too brief.
I'm hoping we get to hear much more about Wilhelmina. She was clearly an influential woman in the Reich's history and her appearance as been all too brief.
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Chapter 11: Holy, Roman, and an Empire
“We are seeing an end to the Thirteenth Century Crisis right now. The Mexica have been put on the defensive, the Mongols are being subjugated by their former vassals, and the civilized world has never been more powerful.”
-Queen Berchte I von Schweinfurt "the Cruel" of Italia-Afrika
“Warriors of Odin! Tonight, we feast with Odin in Valhalla! For today we shall finally drive the Skrælingjarback to where they belong—in the ocean, with the outcast outlaw Erik the Red!”
-Fylkir Sigurdr II Estrid of Scandinavia
Despite the Norse being the traditional enemy of the Reich, Sigismund believed it was better that Norway was in their hands instead of the Mexica’s. However, Sigurdr II was not likely to invade and liberate Norway as long as the Mexica armies remained intact. Sigismund realized the only way that Norway would be freed was for the Reich to attack the Mexica first. However, he didn’t want to seize any territory from them, as that would only be a strain on resources and on relations with the Norse, but he had to destroy their armies so that Sigurdr II would feel confident in declaring a crusade to liberate Norway.
So he resolved to invade Iceland and install a Norseman on its throne.
First, Sigismund sent in the British legions to seize the Mexica islands north of Caledonia, including the stronghold in the Shetlands. The Romans effortlessly wiped out the small armies defending the islands in several almost simultaneous amphibious assults. These islands were then used as stepping stones towards the ultimate goal, Iceland.
At the same time, Sigismund’s gambit paid off when Sigurdr finally declared a Norse crusade to liberate Norway, having found enough confidence to do so.
Eventually, a large army of fifty thousand Romans invaded eastern Iceland itself, with the Mexica bases quickly falling to the imperial onslaught. In Scandinavia, the Norse made slow but steady gains against the Mexica, gradually pushing their way towards the coast.
On 29 March 1306, the Huey-tlatoani, his forces utterly decimated, agreed to a surrender. A Norseman named Faste Estrid became the “Huecalpixqui” of the Duchy of Island.
Meanwhile, the Norse crusade dragged on for several more bloody years, but Sigismund would not live to see the outcome of their war. On 11 October 1307, Sigismund became ill. He would not recover from the illness.
Berlin, 30 December 1307
Sigismund coughed again. He could feel it now, the illness sapping the life out of his body. He knew he would be gone before the end of the day.
Surrounding him was his close family and friends. There was his wife Irmgard at his side. Next to her was their son Friedrich Augustin, now a young man. Then there was King Augustin I von Hohenzollern of France. Though Augustin’s and Sigismund’s dynasties had nothing in common besides their name, Augustin’s family had been among the most loyal of the Reich’s vassals. They were, along with the Habsburgs, the oldest and most prestigious family in the Reich.
“It’s time,” said a voice next to Sigismund.
The Kaiser looked over to his right, where Saint Wilhelmina sat, unnoticed by everybody.
“I know,” said Sigismund.
He coughed again.
“Father!” said Friedrich Augustin.
“My son,” gasped Sigismund, “Don’t fail us.”
And he was gone.
Death of an excellent emperor. He accomplished a lot of what he set out to do. Nice plan of returning the territory the Aztecs hold to the Norse.
Yes. Fear the mighty Island!Is Iceland really just called "Island" now?