• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Elysia is facing a real struggle - these barbarions are perniciously persistent in their errors.
 
Europa League? I didn't realise football was so popular in the Age of Absolutism! :p
 
well they've saved you the trouble of attacking them individually
how considerate
 
Chapter 35: The Demon of the East (1610-1615)
Chapter 35: The Demon of the East (1610-1615)

With the outbreak of the European conflict, the divide within Europe caused many to oppose or support the Elysian efforts. Despite two strong military victories early in the war, the following defeats suffered by the Empire had left entire regions undefended and left to the mercy of the Europa League. The Elysian allies in Europe, despite their valiant efforts, were expected to take the full force of the League while the Elysians prepared to reorganize their forces.

With the defeat in Belgrade, the Empire mobilized a vast Eastern army that would prepare to turn the tide of the war to the benefit of Elysia. Tens of thousands would be gathered in Old Constantinople under Elysian command by one of its experienced commanders. Unexpectedly, it wouldn’t be the commander that Elysia would be expecting….

CB-Z9qZVNZfdOmpo82F_t-_hISdMO6TT7zFR_xFj3jhrvaDJOVO9d5nuNLg7UbhUJXaja6ZYOoM8uUpSE3yvYijFdPbmRctZRwWMhhMdwwNWnP_CznBStMnKjNJHwZ6-DHDOVXJP


With the growing global network for trade, internal trade had been strengthened at the cost of curtailed imports and increased state regulation. Alexandros Psellos, a well-known protectionist in the matters of the economy and trade, was the economic advisor to Emperor Basil. While decisions to improve infrastructure and Imperial trade have been appreciated, many influential people within the Empire believed that the Emperor took the advice of Psellos a little too eagerly and was not thinking of the consequences of his decisions. Some would argue that Psellos’s connection to the Empire was a little too close as an advisor. The Emperor would speak about this relationship and would prefer for Elysian dominance in foreign markets rather than creating mutually beneficial deals with other nations, a surprising development from having only accepted Dutch trade deals only a few years prior.

fpdq6_tF56qL882V7sC3IKe9dkznfTvwhaONpHZdtcAKXPFVaEanpyn4av2vIPTJ-c2WohWS9k6tXjHWMy9tc0WqAnCGfQD-yFoNmia-QzH34tWFNzXoinUOOEzy5BRvGtLw0Bkk


In Anatolia, the once seemingly sublime Ottoman state had fallen into complete bankruptcy. The weak minded Sultans has squandered the wealth of the state for their decadence and their prestige and legitimacy had decreased drastically. The Empire, known for its stability, had been dangerously close to the edge of collapse for quite some time. The future looked incredibly bleak for the Turks, especially due to being powerless to prevent the resettlement of Anatolia.

34ZIrxgnyC7ktYfGw2-PTRCjYLpD5gJuR5t0TZY2ERgksdO3xPbAoWz1-rs0u1eHMA5ziLDusV7npz3mlixFrspH3MS_XSvKTlaz9ug4xvhymnetJ0L3hP-1yfktScO9Mu-k5kdK


Forced to retreat back to Hellas and Old Constantinople, the Empire focused on binding their time and preparing a retaliatory force to punish the Europeans. All surviving soldiers of the Eastern Thema would gather in the queen of cities and would be reinforced by double their number. Just over eighty five thousand men were ready to push back the Europa League out of the Balkans, but command of the Elysian forces would not fall to any simple commander. The Eastern council would argue for days about who would lead the elite Thema. Some would argue for a commander that had already served with direct combat, some would argue of giving a pre-existing commander another chance to redeem himself and the Empire.

No commander would step up and accept the responsibility, except for one...


9r8OkvFpX10aGR2uYo5ZM9dWMk-hk2CgD_am_qdIbQNAOocqoZ9tfhTH22BPTuIzy3BqAEbDtF9md9tzy-8dH0uF_er_Grfvq8xud_p1tUs5RY2XGEoAshQ8crrL4iBZp35OE7Wr

Artavasdos Rhangabe, The Demon of the East. (1532-1619)

That man would be Artavasdos Rhangabe, an old but expert commander from the homeland. Artavasdos was a man in his seventies, but was incredibly experienced and had fought for the Empire for many campaigns as a lesser officer. Notably, as a young man, Artavasdos was a veteran of the Invasion of Hellas and fought against the Ottoman Empire at their peak, all under the command of the brilliant Konstas Botaneiates roughly sixty years prior, and would work his way up the ranks of the Imperial Army to become a lesser commander.

When no other man would accept to command the Thema, he was the only one that accepted the offer. A humble man who started with nothing in his name, he rejected any offers of a reward and instead wished for donations to the poor. On July 25th 1610, Artavasdos would leave Old Constantinople with the entire reorganized Thema behind him on his horse, marching like the Imperial Legions of Ancient Rome. When he left the city, he was known as an experienced if not elderly old commander in the military. After the war, the world would know him by a different name...

u-WPxCzrRBDv_MK41KgJaB05NZxQxkocmwDhDkX0ff7sHTNAnY4w9jnMy1H7WGglulI_inLFna_Fu9LUW487xygBDNDnsKjorQvBImN59m4zNza5m6bdAcDxABOHpXa2f3I8UvIT


Immediately, Artavasdos would achieve tremendous results in Tarnovo and completely obliterate an entire enemy army to the last man. Over thirty thousand men in the Europa League would be massacred in battle, and Artavasdos would liberate Bulgaria from the terror of the League. Despite such a terrifying efficient victory, he would continue to lead a quick yet forced march to the north to relieve the pressure of allied Russian troops.

_lmwk92lN1sc8m9E2cr7cBHJ3zSyXSlaTE7htJc2acdQYT6dypXK-Whl6tVf8JtMaB2iJYy0hzgkvW6zx4WjQeem1vEDiuT9g-5b_lo8Utc0PXh_ho1UnguzGnd1Rt5djwKz8q2N


After a great battle between Commonwealth and Russian troops, Polish Lithuanian forces were tired from fighting. Resting for a month to await further reinforcements, Elysian forces would arrive weeks earlier than what was previously predicted by Polish command. Artavasdos would rest his men for one day after the march, allowing them to gather their strength and the will to fight, before engaging the large Commonwealth army at Podole.

5xkQDX8YiOUZWTCjDIOBbpG3ZRdG64NGxh2kPo_jx7asYXD63vKIewx324AtwMXEOBf8ht4SDeSJ4cIYBYmwI9SRJGtmQiYvNORdbXBC5ijJ9GtaEMhz9vtPUe2q3XmWqVLBG7lG


Artavsdos would demonstrate his brilliance again to the world and utterly destroying the entire Commonwealth army, obliterating a vast majority of Polish Lithuanian force. Artavasdos did not just break the back of the Commonwealth, they snapped its spine in half, and the Military Council could not be happier at the news. Everything that Artavasdos touched had turned to gold, victory after victory went hand in hand. By now, the Europa League simply referred to the elderly commander as the ‘Demon of the East’, and were encouraged to avoid direct combat with him in battle at all costs.

sPoeWZXCHpOqgih5bQoY6HKBeR_DC8oDWC1I3N-z1FTvIvYfgN2LjjbOSkRZvGf0cBaFh_BC4i3vrb28SIgmorH0Ay4aEzbh1J6g5o7uLkNEK0mmoUpMjRgtRfn0rSI8XD1vZVFa


But the Demon’s greatest achievement was yet to come. After the brilliant victory, Artavasdos would march back into Bulgaria before travelling to Serbia, cutting down small raiding forces that were sent by the League into enemy territory. Pushing hard into Temes, Artavasdos would engage the single largest enemy force in the entire war. Both Muslim and Christian worlds would temporarily unite against the him, something that the commander thought was amusing.

SV0SNOAnsKre3fiXNU8H9tMn2_2J1P55hoRtTGcTBe2axmWNIaRZDeI8gNSCtRk8RLmUSfXHgn6UIDJjd1FnNKroRcYCVjsCgvgdy4MGsvOOsbe7DNPtxHhUuov_z37PQUOBdz_J


It would mean nothing. Temes would prove to be a military disaster within European forces, and Elysia would reign triumphant. While unable to destroy the opposing army, Rhangabe destroyed the enemy in a way that Europe would never forget. Out of almost a hundred thousand men in the army of the Europa League, only thirty thousand would ever survive. It was the greatest military achievement since the Battle of Athens, a battle that Rhangabe was personally involved in, and the Battle of Temes remembered for all time.

Ehy9lUGlvq0VAOM6v1TS1lhLMkN_hXivySlC7QzafN-Dmal3BkQJ9sLevBEoCNz-y5yDdtfcdOTJ27TDzJXoeohcb44yXkO2V84lGU573HaHnj_aTwPMRA8uH2dxKROYhLVmTndI


It was the battle that single-handedly won the Elysian Empire and her allies the entire war. On April 9th 1612, the war would be officially over after peace talks in Warsaw. Nearly a million souls would be lost in what was deemed to be a pointless war, a war that had no true accomplishment in the end. Elysia made no demands for territory, only a monetary sum to compensate the families on the homeland and in Europe who had lost their sons and fathers. It was bittersweet, and it only confirmed the continuation of Elysian hegemony in southern Europe.

VMkbJQbVcLjH84K1NsBvp7HAdat8KsgixdaJ-J7_h4bGLUzaFh9jmMd7UiXKG87IGtdUvdv70eyUVEcMhMhbq2OCA3ovHMQHGWR0q9xKZcmGzHaVjI7JOaPaf17jy-w2JKgvCpuZ


Shortly after the end of the war, the Aq Qoyunlu would collapse completely under their own weight, and the balance of power was once again changed in the Near East. Once Christian nations, such as Armenia who had once fought against the tide of the Saracens for countless centuries, finally submitted to the false prophet and embraced Islam, something which horrified the Coptic peoples of the region.

ZCDuSzUHNyEXcNwNhzthjsRtAJX4wg_e7eX-ufDVaNEufMiwEvZhkWOJCSWSo8SPA1O9WSmIh4vbTnMfQN5NWmxo4iiHgKr97g66oZjyACrB-4SCErFOcwcqLvDvT2dMNMXO4Ew6


With the victory in the war, the Elysian foothold in Europe was forever entrenched. If the Empire was to ever maintain that foothold, the mighty fleets must remain unhindered as they transferred supplies and troops to and from the new world. The Pillar of Hercules that separates the Mediterranean from the Atlantic had been the end of Mediterranean in ancient times, and Elysian control of the Pillars served as the major gateway between the Old world and the New one. Simply known as ‘The Rock’ by Elysian troops, Gibraltar would be reinforced as a major European port in the area and as a symbol of Elysian might.

Up9c75W79MMcOznyomKvE9Meo6RfQ6r9IuuoBhNhFO6-mQhGlmhsykSaQC_F7Si5NvEYbUevH8ViyDMRyvtXmN80sbgjR7-F6gPcQayv2p05odn0K1WIISOlGAMd2djWzvOu8Q4x


It would be that after the legacy that the First Europa War would leave on Elysia that would completely change its perspective of the old world. Originally having interests within the East, the Empire gradually focused on securing the western lands of Iberia and Mauritania to safeguard passage into the Mediterranean. With a recent collapse of the Near East in a geopolitical sense, Elysia would drift their interests away from the powerful lands of Western Europe and start to commit completely to the East. Exarchs were desired to settle in the lands of what was once the Eastern Roman Empire, and the goal was simple. Pax Elysium.

This could be accomplished in many ways, but in order to make Pax Elysium a reality, it would need to reinvigorate itself in the conquest of the Holy Lands, Egypt and the lands of Anatolia and the Balkans. Every Exarch in the Eastern Mediterranean would represent a finger of an Elysian hand, where in time, the Empire wished to turn that hand into a fist aimed towards the West.

RJBROkR5Qcc2JX-xBmgPES4CD08fyT_r6PDTPz03-FSm6_wmsh35DOMOqz1-LsHwvMHVlyiIsldLvpI-NJGUd8Y6sn83seBgRSSR0bNOP7g6KZulksDPJS6p22wmvooa8tyigoQE


Through exploration across the world and the establishment of distant colonies and client states, Elysians were learning that the world was a very large place indeed. Imperial might was requested by more of the Imperialistic members of the Senate to return to the glorious days of old, when Rome’s legions conquered half of the known world in mere centuries. This doctrine was no longer seen as practical in an era of sail and cannon, and it allowed the Empire to place more emphasis on the Elysian navy. Rapid expansion would begin to occur that would ensure that Imperial power is projected well beyond its borders, and that Elysia would reap the benefits of being a true world power.

8T8pubmI97XaE8YvDBxZDAQk89DT-KOczZrw-eIhEP4TaZg-0GLsrcQ4rKyQb6C9C_-xM9QUWVp16dNiRbj5y7D-Ws-mPiXAPqfQjPCYqw6Y61-OoHy3NbEfs4Uh8VOIzzQVGimS


Close to the border of the Ming Dynasty, small outposts and fortresses were established on an island close to China. So distant from the Imperial homeland, the fortress outposts were to be Elysian ports that would serve operations in Asia. In time, no Elysian could predict the value of the island that would come to be known as Taiwan.

wZ-8aKWbuog_-LYZRhUjHHu5vwq4pK6UkyeKdZAx2kcK4lGOSkuzivuccRCV0jARsyM611BP2Sw22mEtxN9iw1Nf1pCD4tr72fcssW0RXaOX2vEYGewk98ByupSssOViaV_iImDJ


From Britain, the demand for tropical wood would rise and be selected for their beauty rather than their strength. As a result, the creation of beautiful cabinets and other prestigious furniture from the material would grow into a major business for the Isles.

nGCy0mE22oQe-IIQvxaa_2S2YFpOb2MdjVk132mZCcTA2whNijbbT9gRy-b2Y0wCpjQex45tq6AzwdA7aZPFoTyG3CSu3uUjCAQ_xgltifMjVjtoi9w5xCsfCETfaSFEGecjrS9d


After five years of construction, the Hagia Theotoke would be halfway finished. The overall framework and the outer walls have been built, and the grand structure’s greatness would become ever more apparent. The church was to honor God, the Saints and the Holy Virgin in the most prestigious way that the Empire could provide.

XtspGkePBpmQzLI_aD6_LDQneYrT7tmsGhe_VizFY2l_Rk3BTijmS5IRlXIDFsXvuIqCZvG6wMRcMNi0-DeqBDhiGmlNan08Xdzia94MYbIXFPZdpHs9mW4hGZj2omJSLRqwDMKU


For their seizure of Anatolia, the Elysians tried to plead to the Tsardom to surrender the territories of Northern Anatolia in a land exchange. If Russia ceded Northern Anatolia, Elysia would recognise their claims over Eastern Europe. Russia refused and diplomatic talks broke down between the two parties. Tsarina Sophia I of Russia maintained Russia’s claim and spoke that Russia would no longer need Elysia for their interests. Emperor Basil of Elysia would order Elysian diplomats in the area to return to Constantina, and that the Elysio-Russian Alliance was officially dissolved.

CO0bKPH4tIp-DHjkkfIknDTM-43gMXLfn0cX2edj46nWuzwXkNrxmz4PwBcS0HzhjnkGKEYYNaJ-3S-yEL2w3fPWh-wAeXBOpE5bPC15IPtevQvCx9j-YDKXVeBMdmbm6OoYbwh3


With the conclusion of the Europa War, Elysia was still perfectly willing to expand into other regions. The Kingdom of Jolof was one such region, as Elysia had very little regions of control within Africa itself. As other European powers have established some level of influence in the region, notably the Spanish, Elysia would work to establish an Imperial Protectorate rather then simply conquering a region that has no real level of influence.

YH_HXNzUc9Opk2PIxgPe6P9q2bQqhYY2Y17RdJhCPA1aK126Kdy1NIvXHPkwadXgeOKlp43dJ60uLjLEHsQ-6ViK7_cansLTNziQI7kzT4sh5rmEF-TeeqYN2GOd3-KzklnhN9rQ


A single Elysian thema would be sent from Hispania to Cape Verde, before conducting a landing to the northern expanse of the Kingdom. The Elysian military severely outclassed any army that the Kingdom could muster, and one by one, the Kingdom would slowly start to fall from the Elysian campaign and distant talks of a revolt within its own borders.

Aha_6lgSCG1UJl9YRl0XmcbIw0Y8JeMpG786zBbTFVp5PTrWyRMx52T3ewy5zEWduozKG69SFezfEIk2x_H3W4PO32AUPMwOZnu41gG_egfmHrMmkOfV7JG1cjpokl2P6XrV7Nuw


By the autumn of 1614, the construction of the Hagia Theotoke was almost complete, and Emperor Basil assembled some of the empire’s finest craftsmen and artists to create a grand mosaic to rival the grand cathedrals of Europe. The mosaic was to depict scenes from the Roman flight from Europe to the current day. Prominent members of the Imperial family have requested that the mosaic prominently show celebrated Emperors and Empresses of the times past, including the two founding brothers of Elysia, Ioannes and Constantine.

While the clergy feel as if this would discount the role that the Saints of Elysia had played in ensuring the survival of the faith and nation, it was historically critical under the leadership of the ancestral Emperors. Caesar was prefered over Pope, as without the Emperor, the Empire wouldn't have ever gotten as far as it had today.

kDMWEoIj61C5Rs5ngqEryk1zjhr45V7q1GWyxq8CC6yfOi1zVaktXboHND5nVS51ZxgMP2z6S5puz9I5LW1dMCLngTq33ozWG_b7OhWebpUPArkq43ahb2hGQyXCPkBsKno_3O3I


9bKvZzKaPFdKBhTSTLArwqPvh6T6KXsuFsV6g4rxCzhjSS_y7ifuuMYGqGIMs0EahDda9nuIGVumcdHgM-m9Wrqw7fPcx8W2lTCLiNXmnjtopbt4j-OSDCWc84mVqH7tBtma393o


After a period of travelling around the Kingdom, Elysian Commanders ordered to keep the lives of civilians low to create the impression to the people of Jolof that they were liberators and not foreign conquerors. After seven months, the Empire would establish Jolof as an Imperial Protectorate and help develop the nation in its economy and government in exchange for providing slaves and service.

Gpn_3d1XovU6woXwZ2R4w8MpSFSlHvxSZbYyNTNmdBjQkigTlF2KXmukK4mxDcCfsjVzcWzsuP0h8V6DwJLm6nXPoILXZBuMai3uwl85BsJya-hqeNutJ2m56F-F0AO6Naw3R6HW


By the start of 1615, resettlement programs conducted by both Constantina would prove its worth. Western Anatolia was re-experiencing Hellenification once more, at the cost of the Turks in the region. Despite dangerous cultural and social interactions between both cultures, the numbers of the Turkish population were dwindling through emigration or through the incredibly harsh reality of Hellenic resettlement. Turkish families sold their livelihood to Hellenic settlers in exchange to travel to the West, leaving with nothing but the clothes on their back. A majority of the Turkish population in Anatolia largely integrated into Hellenic society, converting to Elysian Orthodoxy and slowly losing their culture as a means of integrating into a bigger one.

This was the start of a dark period in the Exarch, one where Elysia was in-directly responsible for a cultural genocide that angered the Islamic world deeply. If another Anatolian war was to start, it would be over what was the beginning of the ‘Turkish Genocide’.

Yi2gbT3WQAhUca30vwSLDZM3DmRUfysafVeIZzuMVDSsug540eW2pqYCUGkeeb8bwl28Gb8Esf3CR-Gg5AugHdsavXOmGj0IMtZ5tp9-5FwDF4iQ5HskVBraYki62Os-sRMIGW-E

Diamonds, long having been the most precious of all stones, was discovered in large quantities in inland Retoria. New World diamonds, desired not just by royalty and nobility, were also desired by wealthy burghers, magnates and other connoisseurs. Elysia’s southern neighbor of Spartania would benefit from this discovery, and its economy would notably seen an enormous temporary boost, at the cost for the price of gems plummeting worldwide.

n6095vDyOMaZo0itw-AM3CUo0HZQtL7ap02u4FNoeq8v7K60E_6P-qzFYI4dDjxtR_0FydYJbWXHHu6X2AN8ZZ38RVCkUNIFKMlAuAyWQYlhXM_nV4k5aUpTKU02tz2MHbjxprMO


After years of truce, Vinland would once again fall back into old habits and start conducting raids into Imperial territory. After decades of defeating the northerners, it seemed that Vinland was simply not getting the message that it needed to receive. Nearly a hundred thousand men in Elysia would be positioned close to the Imperial border, as well as a considerable majority of the Imperial fleet, to teach the heathens of the north a lesson they would never forget....
 
Last edited:
The general's name is well earned, I think. Quite the string of victories.

Oh Vinland. Well, so to probably be no more Vinland.
 
Now now ....
Vinland is going to collapse-land
May the Zeus stay with Elysia!
 
Time for Vinland to become Elysia’s latest province.
 
Chapter 36: The Kingdom of God (1615-1618)
(Authors Note: Sorry for the slight delay everybody. From this chapter onwards, I will be experimenting with a new writing style and be focusing on making chapters much more detailed then per usual, hence why chapters are only lasting for a couple in-game years. I apologies in advance for my tardiness, I'm definitely hard at work! Also, I will point out that this chapter might be a little bit more gruesome then the other ones, so I will add a slight warning just incase anyone doesn't really like what happens with a horrible sack/siege in detail)

Chapter 36: The Kingdom of God (1615-1618)

With an Elysian victory against the coalition against them in the First Europa War, the time would come to turn the matters of the Empire back towards the Vinland. Having long been considered as the Empire’s first ally in this new world, the historical friendship between the two realms was replaced by a bitter hatred for one another. From the Norse Vinlanders to the Christian Elysians, what started as a hatred for both one another's culture and faith was becoming more and more brutal.

With the ascension of Elysia towards unparalleled prestige and power, Vinland had been entering into a slow decline. While it was still able to put up a fight against their southern enemy, they would prove that the arctic northerners were simply unable to compete. From the insanity of the Mad King, to the talented yet hostile Konungurs that held the realm since, Vinland as a state was collapsing as a whole. Yet despite this, both Christian and Norse Vinlanders would live among one another in a place where two worlds would meet.

Vinóss, having long been the capital of the north, was the political, spiritual and economic heart of Vinland. It was the wealthiest city located north of the Borealian Lakes, and it was extremely rich among the grand cities of the New World. It served as the seat of power of the Konungur, along with the higher echelon of the Norse Gothi. While retaining a large Norse majority, the demographics of the city would change among the decades as it had more contact with Elysia and the rest of the world. Christian Vinlanders, one a miniscule minority where practicing the faith openly was once a crime punishable by death, was now a very sizeable minority. Interestingly, the city also had a tiny collection of other spiritual groups from all corners of the globe, such as Jewish bankers and Islamic merchants, who wanted to make a life in the New World but couldn’t compete with the breakneck pace that occurred in Nea Konstantinopolis.

jG0WnpNsTRMNBj29VZWJm6ZjFQGL0RGtaYG3g9OXbSlNzgsrScEcM6yqdYeJdf7BF9kyKKzLtFidBjY8VCL_lt4fbmjHKAQlyHJgxdAo7agiJwG-oXPJr1kErVcy3W4LnFNUGVfc


It was because of the significance of Vinóss that the Empire desired to end Norse hegemony in the North. After having occupied the capital in the last two previous wars, an enormous amount of territory would be ceded to the Elysians. First would be all of Thorfinn Bay, then the borderlands between Elysia and Vinland. Now, the Empire was mere miles away from the Jewel of the North. Despite Vinlandic agression, one that aggravated the Imperial government to no end, the north would not learn its lesson in provoking the Empire that had destroyed them in every single military conflict.

In a declaration of war to the Althing, the Empire remained incredibly determined to deliver a devastating blow to Vinland. The Emperor and Senate wished to deliver a blow so devastating, so decisive, that the Althing and the State would never recover.

84E19GRV10YfZmMPJtOW4TWd520nCEkHHy9ZVVGtnAYbh352x_J8RLCxtj8fMbn0Vq_MXd5Tl1Y5O-E8rQvaDXj-9As8EHxH-HfzEKhzpPNvnkHs6pinbEa34XWbLoDwGvUHjYnJ


The moment that the declaration of war had arrived, almost a hundred thousand soldiers would march into the frozen north and bring the entire northern realm to a complete standstill. Vinland was incredibly unprepared for a conflict with the Empire, and Elysia would do everything in its power to maintain that advantage for the time being. The Fleet would sail into the bay and launch a blockade of the main armada and several important locations, ideally the capital.

-RpZa3SmI2d5B4fgGAk7TTqwBkGJGofgftIJXZwnXbIDUy_rYAznkTZmF5H9NMNYVeQIAWcxLHsSpTK-1DsSiGdRcRjxAqU6hzuWJ6cjyYM-pzawUkFYkK7BLtlQ9UnigTh2yzQk


The Konungur, Lief IV Johanson, would not be in Vinóss when war was declared, but instead inspecting the main northern army in Burke. Once that information had arrived that Elysia had invaded the north, Lief would gather the unprepared yet large army and march as fast as possible to break an inevitable siege of Vinóss. Unfortunately, once they crossed into Timburtland, the northern army walked into a trap.

mM15ug4xV9Jn-KoZPZoo6jR3nv9Rhxpnn6lVmVKG9DxWiprAhFb-GSWiCsg72uj7XfUD5MkeqjW2lk5IYijUMURp_0Yzo0cebpd8xanrDHqu4gjgAqW_eN7Mt5cDF1fRQ7HZ48fQ

Vhr0-4eaN0LURsYpslmsPDko7TBZKZ1EE6QdeOqVLLdPgPPzc939ZLy7OLdVP9lLAmS1_wvEvjCiC8OMBsPhkKIypTK6k-W1aKBMSyTUUkesNRfEAmsbI4udZPABMYdVKReYU2-m


Led by the ever brave and skilled commander Alexios Diogenes, the elite Elysian forces took the marching northerners by complete surprise and launched a great ambush. The Elysian commander would use an unorthodox method of blending into the environment, having his own personal army blend into the trees and white snow during the middle of winter as the enemy passed them. Lief IV and his army tried to break the attack, but instead many Norsemen simply dropped like flies. The Konungur and several thousand survivors would march away from the ambush, but the damage had already been done. The Battle of Timburtland would become the Vinlandic Teutonburg, and caused immense psychological stress among the surviving army who escaped.

Across the bay, families and wives openly wept in the streets at about the disaster of Timburtland. A sense of hysteria and terror washed over the Norse in Helluland, Markland and other Vinlandic territories. The loss of a vast majority of the Vinlandic army had left the north wide open and weak. Lief IV, who survived the battle, would forever be a changed man after the battle. The Peninsular was left wide open, and while the remaining armies regrouped in the north, Alexios Diogenes would become nicknamed the “The White Ghost” by other Elysian commanders, and earn his place in history.

VhaQbg6yjm_swOqQHxTfvbVjmBNCi8IqgEpKgI8s6gQDp4RAXyDpnGBX5BNMob2qjS-UKUDBNnJqPWzTaOUI1DfUB1QDIcWH6FY9L9argio7E1YAfXtYwX586bhlyZegPQDjG6o-


The situation among the Vinlandic Althing had deteriorated rapidly within simply months. Smaller enemy units attempted to raid the larger battle-hardened Elysian forces in a fools attempt to cover their comrades retreat and slow the Imperial army down. It would prove useless by the Norse, and it would leave them helpless as Elysia broke the Althing apart piece by piece.

DcFjFZ9fStBILR3ItNBY9gX9WI8Dm10m-VsT3c13oWJo05DTf2M_1B-Egbj9Scuv5E1yI_IN0nmpBSg3RmY16MJ16UZeiFkNiO0z2IYCAndiLpOPMwYA7VMZEXz_RI97DHA00PYN


Christians were given the opportunity to have safe passage out of the capital before the siege started, but the Althing largely refused escaping christians from leaving out of fears that it could undermine their siege efforts. Some sensed a betrayal by the Althing for abandoning them and sentenced them to die, which prompted a revolt among its walls as the Elysians spent the time preparing siege equipment and organizing a bombardment of the walls.

For just over a hundred days, Vinóss would hold its own until it would succumb to the Imperial Army. The northern capital, which held a population close to a hundred and fifty thousand, had panic among the streets in the religiously mixed city. Great Blots were apparently practised behind its walls, with countless animals being ritually sacrificed within moderation as a means to ward off the Elysians. Christian scouts outside of the city walls from a high altitude were able to spot the sacrifices taking place, where disturbingly, some scouts would mention talks of human sacrifice occurring behind its walls. An Elysian commander by the name of Manuel Bardanes would take command of the siege, a well-known siege specialist within the Imperial army.

Within the first few weeks of the siege, any help from the remaining Vinlandic armies in the north faded as Elysian forces completely surrounded the city and the surrounding area. Starvation and disease would spread rapidly throughout Vinóss, where bodies would be left to rot in the streets. Grain among the defenders would be rationed, and Bardanes would strangle any outside relief that would come towards the city, ordering a blockade at the mouth of the river.

Weeks of siege would cause the population of the capital to dwindle from disease and starvation. Civilians would fight among themselves for food as their rations dwindled from the continuing siege. Negotiations would take place routinely during the siege, where Elysia would offer reasonable terms of surrender. Week after week, the Empire would offer different terms to the Vinlanders, some more generous than others. The Althing, who was trapped within their city without the Konungur, still served as the leaders of the nation and refused any offer the Elysians made. The Althing council and the Norse elite, motivated and united by war and hatred of Elysians, held strong for the next several months

After three and a half months, Vinóss would be broken. Bardanes and his army would march through the city gates, where some of the defenders abandoned their brothers and sisters and opened the gates. For the next week, Vinóss would be sacked and razed for an entire week.

WLypqyfuM4kqH6Bf9TthtrzhbTUW8sAonZRh5M-2q7F1hSs81K73_hsFTUDIrIPGBUuSoZPHIA3W1RYF8t7-BjrgXmKbjn24JkpQVnjbRsRTprBrR7p-bjf4NnfsrTNtBoyuEuie

The Fall of Vinóss, depicted by an unknown Vinlandic painter who survived the siege.

A vast majority of the great buildings of Vinóss would be ransacked and destroyed by the Elysian armies. Any and all movable goods were stolen all across the city. Norse Temples across the city were burnt to the ground, and structural damage across the city was widespread. The Althing, who had barricaded themselves inside of the Hvulvkiethi Kethsstala, the mighty Vinlandic whalebone palace that represented Vinlandic nobility and power, were then burnt alive as the Empire torched the palace they were in along with other innocents. The city's malnourished citizens were murdered en masse as they were defenseless against the Imperial army. Many citizens were taken captive, some citizens would be ransomed, others would be sold into slavery, and an unfortunate amount would be raped and killed. Fastvi, Leif IVs sister, would be captured and raped by Elysians over the next week of violence before being taken as a political hostage.

After a week of violence, the flames of the city along with the brutality of the sacking had taken its toll. The slaughter of most of the inhabitants of the city and the burning of a majority of the capital sent shockwaves across the entirety of Vinland. Vinóss would largely be razed by the Elysians, and the population would crash from a hundred to fifty thousand at the start of the siege to just barely over seventy thousand largely due to food and disease mismanagement alongside the slaughter that took place once the gates were opened. Land-taxes plummeted and the Vinlandic economy entered a dangerous spiral.

After the conquest of the city, the war would continue as planned, but the very heart of Vinóss was crushed in the iron fist of the Elysian Empire. Plans for reconstruction would be planned after the war, where Vinóss was to be rebuilt. Vinóss, in the mind of a normal Vinlander, was dead.

71q8zhsdp5jbn02Bjo30Xlo2btnYcuxBIb4KDtP_2IAaLAGvZ6lxNOs2LHXM-n639iDCVjVfuKq1GPedOXXp6NXAlbV5LfeosmnUkMGYlHy8GlNMnnBSZY8H9j701CQO2i7Ycxir


With the fall of the capital, Vinland was exposed and naked. News of the destruction of the capital quickly made its way up towards the north, and had completely broken the spirits of the Norsemen. Some were encouraged to fight on against the Christian invaders, some simply dropped their arms and surrendered, and some would even go as far as to end their lives before the Elysians did.

iWSw8Tj927nN2ge8xhUeOfm8Gt1LTWG9hdcxr6jJwOM-LYc61rgccOPZGkAHqKd0DuscqwhTnH-82DVCfPSorc7M847KGVdC4SmLwM0xJAFh3VlSHTOEar-GtIid-lm2cMJb4tHu


Any last chance to avenge the Althing was taken at Helluland, but it would prove futile as two combined Thema had grouped up to conduct separate invasions of Markland and Helluland. Ragnarr Hahn and the remaining Vinlandic Army would be obliterated from the face of the earth, with the Norsemen going with it.

QZpNIpdTdEakqhknMg0o_OjhGtx13FECij5RFXaP5rhFNmfySnRwdvUFqSfJ6CU_B0Kw37bQ7_NVZQ46d7FMg5yAVb53JsVkVipJNFHkg8IV3pNDJhUBkWUNldyUXMVPPgrvsNVW


After forcing a submission of the Althing, the Konungur would surrender completely to Elysian authorities and make terms of surrender. Attrition had taken the lives of the Elysians as they marched into the winter as Vinlandic defenders sabotaged their own homeland, but combat losses were incredibly small in comparison to the Norsemen. In just eleven months, Vinland was simply decimated.

djt-OogODl-mMn1iF7GLDcFodkx6IONOTx_2tI0c95yZUY2kZIHoNrsbvsPiWnWfyo-JApCuX-SjVBr4AxJe5RImfJK13IPlyPQI3LZd_BuAZLoUckINt57oyf3l6RyW9LzEQPfC


vvprVyVuGx2x4GWy42IWCXfVBwiW_vIDdhnB5MfltLsp4Ui4s9zvEycwP548F0MLrSWprnQKF1921L6vzMdP8fnf_lMY3Y97sdNlFXquNssKNeF1_KW2cZmRIzN2fj1K5vIR0cY9


It was a very harsh peace, and the North would pay for it severely. What remained of the great city of Vinóss and a large portion of the surrounding areas would be ceded to the Empire. Emperor Basil would hold a triumph for the commanders for the invasion in the capital, celebrating their accomplishments. The Emperor and the Senate proclaimed that with the destruction of Vinóss, that the city would be rebuilt as a northern capital for Christian Vinlanders. The city would rise from its ashes like the phoenix and be rebuilt a haven in the north. The Senate had agreed on renaming the destroyed former capital into Nea Pontus, and that work to rebuilt the city would begin immediately once unsavory elements of the city’s past had been removed.

ff-FVKk9QlqJc3E2azYykKyRHa5wYjcvM8dNRCjZTR2aJaAgSNrwtL4grEIEVT3TmchdU0m7tPogIjn7DQD86DbZ0rwPiiYo7VDxQDgxd0yft-Bac1dx1pYf7z4AnGsDOnJgMxHX


Rather than direct integration, the region around Nea Pontus was to be enlightened by Christian missionaries heading towards the north, all the while the great Thema’s marched down from the north and made their way back home. Provinces would be renamed, and more varangian elements would make their way to the life of the Christian Vinlanders.

Pk0Tfgp7jSbLVD1C88WvHpvp1UVCwR7DmDBY7epqX4v_J_V7UtMHriX71zO4-i9Gf37Dt0RQCOTQBFhEuuZZGPraeCvKhsO7aeDzC3DAhCjcXLd635XSfFlQmz7n1ZUg6Oxmd-4e

z11CgEeYSsOKey69mCmvaK9irUEu2FeyAlwQqox-LME0S3U96Ngme5sqekNCie4FCNf7lVqzmcER_E5eRa4vq791zaQ3LrGioq1ELIm0AQ3aTCG_AuFwj7XDShNOAgFCjKo7fnRX


With the growth of the Empire across the Pacific, it had access towards the bountiful riches of Asia. Imperial bureaucracy and merchants, as plentiful as they were, simply couldn’t be everywhere at once. Elysian interest within Asia was based around the hopes and ambitious aroused by enormous revenues produced by similar European companies. The Emperor himself, Basil I, wanted Elysia to play a larger and more dominant role in world trade. While not seen wholeheartedly by the Empire’s own merchants, the shift away from the domestic markets towards foreign ones started to make a shift into Imperial policy. On March 23rd 1616, the Elysian Empire would establish the East India Trading Company to oversee financial interests overseas.

DZwimUWvHm8hW4ZbaMHwSkbII02EeNxBFfwLmLAGabe4wkLnPhZHBsphohj-UJK_p4IskAp9HtN4sHZzk0SCFjvPtzJUWgZqHpnJGWoTgh57x_eSvwLsRdzzHCqp-aPjktCaAkq6


Alexandros Psellos, who had been a faithful servant to the Empire for quite some time, had grown insolent. The leading advisor denounced the Emperor’s policies and ridiculed the Emperor in public, and even under the presence of foreign ambassadors. The Emperor would be humiliated under the insolent advisor, something he would not allow for any public servant of the Empire to partake. Several days later in the middle of the night, Alexandros Psellos would be dragged out of his home by members of the Imperial Guard, never to be seen again...

he2TAKavYMx7Li4yVDk6Y7JTEW8rJ50jCn3kTgxwF4uH4-roMEQ6AuDNl9BYKrDGyIJR369z7PvtfuDLBUVRmYO6KXSCnaQOMiTlrlWMaRbIt5_MmjRKmENIlxVc1rxKnClX7nL9


After eight years of construction, the Hagia Theotoke was completed on July 7th 1616. The grandest church of God west of Hellas and Europe had been completed, and its design harkened back to the inspiration of the Hagia Sophia. A domed roof made of bronze, marble floors and a grand gate inspired the glory of the faith to all who had seen it. Every inch of wall was decorated with grand frescoes, statues of saints and seraphim lined every single corridor. On one of the walls, many celebrated Elysian Emperors of the past was celebrated with decorative pieces such as statues and icons.

The Cathedral inspired all the might and glory of God, the saints and the Emperor’s who had made this project so. Pilgrims from Europe and across Elysium flocked to the new church, and served as a beacon of Imperial power across an entire continent. On the coming sunday, the Church would be officially opened by Emperor Basil, the Imperial Family and the Eccumencial Patriarch where they would hold the first Divine Liturgy.

m9DCCBohJohLopAzYBO_dCy0p6u513on2q89ho7Pp8A7qj2MYP2fOf4dk1TB6wWQFwvFingJ4PAOj2SS1d5eHDOYVnm7kUIKHfB_doQbNK-52dSvFq_Wb60XtPLTvK1ozimAmSLl


From the importance of Foundation Day all those years ago, Nea Konstantinopolis had always been the centre of Elysian Culture and commerce. Since then, it had grown into the most prosperous and largest city in the New World. Much was to be done by the Empire if it was to truly earn the respect and admiration of the nations of Europe and beyond.

RjgaHwheEQPykkqWi5BWmMm99pfbuDMMnNWAhg997yVPLcMMBssfGH_Yvg9qrTmSq9BlkZ06RbGsn0EszyxV0BOgkzIOmCZVqFOL5XlTGlu62mGoOz8arsTSzZoQOJOmaX6MO7d5


Within two years, most of the new territories would embrace Elysian Orthodoxy. As the reconstruction of Nea Pontus was underplace, many of the previously Norse survivors in the region would start hesitantly converting to Christianity for various reasons. It would still take some time for Christianity to become a majority within the region.

azTo-y_VnTVMGocigJIGt2cj0Hq0LFdGxO-i4EeCK1GY3bhhAp5NaPze1tKHJx6S6LMiVG6LdJAvVHImqLj2NdLD7yG-E5nqidipGhwMGMjVRRRKBEIjhczFKbfRucOsf3CmsOrP


The Inca, long having been the ally of the Empire, requested the Empire to share its knowledge of the region of Central Elysia. Given the excellent relations between the two states, the Empire agreed wholeheartedly and brought the knowledge to the Inca.

tzG0bvRznoLvn0S-YKpZO5aTruZdE-VbJheY94kD-_5PdFJLHJa8WVsEVkw0VbS-BEhBq9FDMqN5jK9VNF_C2txbEcw9sIhRcSN7RTK983w7ieEUflSKMU921DZInB-yP-q-X5Xu
cDjs9BFHsZ5ZkiJPgiQZnOM8xknVGlkIuz25jiyHxl9JNQXkALLYwi9mAGT9js1Cor4KNTkyGHPS3wxATjBTNCxrnM2ECAAcL21G4pt1j8Yo7O9VrjCOvY50tmaD9_AIf8pFW6SW


In Europe, the Papacy had united the whole of Italy under Catholic rule. The Pope, given his new prestige and legitimacy among the Catholic world, had declared the Papal State as ‘The Kingdom of God’ along its own borders. Other European states would simply refer to Theocratic Italy as the ‘Papal Kingdom’. Catholics from all over Europe flocked to its banner, eager to live in the model nation of Christian virtue. Due to its newfound power, it would also mean that foreign powers would no longer heed to any serious Papal Bulls nor be able to control the College of Cardinals.

r3PeLjZhAmo1JXa4llxFWJIdoU7o2riEtJQiRxxm2RDviXsymz2wnZSpDNZBGb4w005cWavs8BzgR-icjphsMkDqLWpbu6pEW6Qc3OiPidK9TVSozicMI4jVLcfQJ_c3-qzkPZ4w


Towards Iberia, the Hispanian monarch would establish a new system among the Exarch called ‘Sunday Schools’. With the aim to provide education in religious and moral matters of less fortunate children, it was primarily to teach moral matters to youth and perhaps make them more loyal to the state and faith as a whole. The Empire would plan to create a system of its own in the near future, but due to its overwhelming size, it was to be implemented on a much larger scale.

F3cduBqSG6w5O76yKkDz06ZS6xGn9aTVYF5rTqHHjc1FcITUlCu2OSInPF54cgBAkvsuxKsKb5nYVH7Qnd6N2gBoCsrPq5Y5PmAy0kUWipBWbaF0bKue4gqsA6mboFdFhJ8kmk72


With the expiration of a truce, the Empire prepared its mighty Thema once more to deal a devastating blow to the Ottoman Empire. It had been brought to its knees following the previous war with Elysia, and it was now time to break the Turk’s back. With the Turks plagued by continued unrest, the main focus of the campaign was to seize one of the most important cities in the Orthodox Pentarchy, the ancient christian city of Antioch.

Y7a0hePKaz5MpCW5UH_D7rUi-gtyiD-1Nss1C0oPC58dFw5S1jviMygSRhi3-R7uSCAEzv1zVQBK5gfVS3hFODiEw3_bSWIGK97dVZ9Qnu8WwRcCYmixNUyR-iBVtiqkH7Ny4HRc


As European and Elysian forces crossed into Turkish anatolia, it became apparent that there was not a single group of Turkish defenders to be seen anywhere. Had the situation among the Ottoman Turks, one the undisputed masters of the East, grown so dire that they couldn’t even muster or inspire their own people?

Regardless of the situation, the campaign was to continue as usual. With the advancing age of Basil I, he wished to secure one important objective of his reign before he would die, strengthening the Exarch of Constantina and returning Hellenic Hegemony of Anatolia back to its rightful masters.
 
Last edited:
I was half-expecting a complete annexation of Vinland, but they live on, embittered remnants of a once-proud nation.
 
I was half-expecting a complete annexation of Vinland, but they live on, embittered remnants of a once-proud nation.
They are, unfortunately, still way too large to directly annex in a single war. I'm still chipping away at them ever so slowly, and keeping them around as a nuisance tends to work better for me. Had I gone for a more "realistic" approach when it came to a normal peace treaty, I would have modified the game with console so I would have annexed Vinland completely.
 
I'm liking the new format :)

The sack of Vinóss was brutal -- an unfortunate reality given the times, but no less brutal for that. One gets the impression that Vinland has well and truly had its back broken this time around, and continues to exist purely at the mercy of the Empire.
 
Chapter 37: The Capture of Pontus (1618-1621)
Chapter 37: The Capture of Pontus (1618-1621)

From the atrocities committed in Vinland, the Empire had achieved an important victory when it came from seizing the jewel of the north and the surrounding lands from the Norse. The Althing, along with most of the population of Vinóss, would go up in flames as the vast majority of the city would be razed. Despite such terrible suffering that had been brought upon the north, reconstruction efforts and the emergence of a new ruling elite among the Vinlandic population would start a long period of integration into the state.

The new ruling of the elite of the north would come from what had formerly been the most oppressed group within Vinlandic society. Christian Vinlanders, largely descendants of Varangian warriors who had returned home from their services in Elysia, were a small minority within the overwhelmingly Norse society. The Althing promoted discriminatory measures against the group, often calling them traitors to their ancestors. The previous century would harm the Christian northerners, yet despite the state-encouraged oppression, they had never faltered and kept strong with their faith.

Once the Elysians had started to launch their conquests of Vinlandic territory, starting with the reign of the Mad King, the tables had started to turn. More and more Vinlanders had started to convert to Christianity, and the older minority group was starting to become the leaders of a new community of Vinlandic Christendom. Vinlandic Christians worked with Imperial missionaries and the government to assist with the incorporation of the new territories. In what could be described as a miracle, the divine light of Christ was washing away the sins of the new believers and Norsedom was becoming more and more of a minority religion. From a small minority group, Christian Vinlanders were now becoming the majority. And following the chaos of the previous conquest, this new community would play an important part of Elysian life in the decades to come. But for now, they were given the time to rest and rebuild their livelihood, and to reshape the destroyed norse metropolis into a shining beacon of the north...

QSvlCATv0Xz-sJxyE1JIEPb02QRydtTPs1V6Uz32VFv4xOViIWz4klFFfkL9HRXPfvfsMosV2IKMJNtHfHQcnZqvJ0aWPn_LvKPP1FLYXlXhGEAWdL1nudtiuM_gkTgVInm-__ZX


Across the vast Pacific, the territories of Australia were being organised within a more centralised colonial government, and after a decade of arrival onto this strange new continent the distant government was given self-rule as an overseas subject of the Empire. Officially known as Elysian Australia, the gigantic continent was unlike the stories that were told to encourage settlers to start lives there. Despite claiming such a tremendous amount territory and having claims on the entire continent, it was not the paradise that some claimed it to be.

It was of no wonder that the Imperial government would deliberately select Australia to be more of a penal colony in some regions. Imperial subjects and slaves who had acted against the Empire were expected to never return should they share the unfortunate fate of being sent to Australia.

Settlements were very far and few between, and the largest were no more than several thousand people strong at any given time. The natural environment, geography and the wildlife had made settlement incredibly difficult, and the native barbaroi of the continent were much more numerous and aggressive then the ones in the the homeland. Wildfires, poisonous and dangerous animals and the climate itself would prove to make Australia an untamed and exotic place. An Elysian settler would describe the lands as if he was stepping into another world. One official would make the comparison between the Elysians of Australia landing on this continent as a symbolic representation of what the exiled Romans had experienced during Foundation Day, and that in time, they would one day make a legacy on their own akin to their homeland.

OwpfNWP2J4s7OQtmpK1bj1xKio_SMx3phFBRLADuLbxwSvoRaHdkkU7G_Hc40amZSOqnF3IWVjhgONHcpYOjxfUcPnO7SgtIK4HXLvIk1sh0keoMlwZVkdpFm9Nqzje9Ff-MGJAg


Back in Europe, the pitiful campaign against the Ottoman Empire was more of an embarrassment rather than a fully fledged campaign. Elysian soldiers would march into the territories and find them deserted of Turkish soldiers. It was considered to have been a cakewalk, and rather then expecting another campaign where the Turks would consider putting up a fight, the Empire was sure to punish the Ottomans just the same.

vyMqZdMG5QmAnssXuBQyyCIYoFMHR9CeuGvoRnKsAwChpN5QKUKVtHI3OkinAf92aZpfohZCid-uEvirDkbqjz5pG1dWfFtvTOmVQz6E3U1scs8qQ761c3ZvxeBiWursNHt_NpF9


Very large portions of Ottoman Anatolia would be ceded to the Empire, leaving the Ottoman Turks as a mere broken shadow of their former greatness. To add insult to injury, with no standing army nor the funds to raise them, Armenian separatists rose up in the East and broke free from Turkish rule. The Ottoman Turks now barely had control over their former homeland, and were not strangled between Elysian-Hellenic Anatolia and the Russian Anatolian coastline.

W3QsRBncLaAn_y4GBMQQINC85lY9m5_2oyD_UbVorZEM63PsbdajSxHEIMPRx4nugiPOlFSZ4XJVNATlmz8-34QTDvut4SadyoxM4nwEOC_g3RdyJt5ikOr3dxvyApJ5o2xkGLWf


The Tsardom of Russia, declaring the Elysian Empire as an enemy of their interests and in many ways considering them a rival to test their own power, had launched a Trade Embargo in Anatolia. Elysian merchants along with their Exarch subjects were refused to partake in trade, drastically harming relations between the two Orthodox nations. From what had originally been two allied nations, the ambitions of Russia outweighed what they could realistically achieve, and their arrogance within the court had infuriated the Elysians to absolutely no end.

SicsrvmGMmpnil4ua68nZfjaSSqcP7pQbOtxsURKvib7PVxarWJAXjdJZxAkdcLAS9LLYkzELeCKKdB3Jgj2RgNqofmXaTseMgTfbgruPKZ3NnBXG7IniAn0BIyS4nytzzwQ1Eoa
7fpOs_9rtqXz7Urtb5tGwUFTxqlwiuO9L-lOUbgBPDn0_SBj5ou9ZvZWm-WZdogUbuvEOWX_6sQe9H7ynqwmxTyHmmC0uBmRGwUHVbi-VVuw5lXEPrn5lMVIuIUbAM6pEnC7SdIF


After the campaign with the Ottoman Empire, the Empire would make their presence known along the Islamic World and reassert regions that they had held claims over for decades. The Kurds and the Islamic Armenians, both of which had held border claim with the exarch, were threatened to hand over these provinces under the threat of war. Both would reluctantly agree out of fear for annihilation, and handing over these provinces would prevent the Elysians from turning towards the their lands. Armenia, who had just won the independence of Erzurum from the Turks in the first time in over a century, surrendered the territory to Constantina and Elysia overnight.

1D7hyV0XZrebKTdkPtpUqXggBnZsmk9qiA3ZtIPens70_mzL_X-HnlELSJBtkM9yziArRAbpomcWu4VMbZfWHcTJTFAuBDxLDPiujX9cs2mfam5sd7ezdXJ6VHWSMieq4GzjMtRh


With the distant Pacific territories and the riches of Asia across the ocean, the creation of the East India Trading Company had helped Imperial merchants in greatly improving the value of the trade network from Elysian holdings in the Pacific and Asia. Seeing the potential within Asia, Emperor Basil would work to decentralize the trading companies of Asia away from the tight bureaucratic lordship that the Empire was known for. Instead, Trading Companies would largely have their own freedom in their organisation and duties, but were still subject to Imperial rule and Law. Sheer distance between the mainland and the distant holdings made transoceanic bureaucracy difficult, to the Pacific islands were given a reasonable degree of high autonomy to smooth the beginnings of the transition.

The Island of Taiwan, which was reasonably close to the lands of Southern China, would be the first of the decentralized trading companies of Asia. Colonization of the Islands and Lands of Asia would be subject to Imperial Rule largely, which focused on spreading Christianity among the natives to pacify any resistance to Elysian rule. Taiwan would be the first example, where the Island was to experience a slow but through conversion to Christianity that would take several years. The Island would then become the center of the Elysian South China Company, which greatly improved its value but severely decreased it as a source of reliable troops and taxes. Imperial ambitions was to transform the lands of Southeastern Asia and turn the Archipelagos into an Elysian trade empire within an Empire.

095SmR9m7loNW5XF7oDAK4ieBPjFln57L-wePNbcHNGy9V2ZfD3UAj-0P3OnJ2upNthMmJHhk09F7k7zFWzZro0xGyq9OzS7vq2P85ylUBUwqDA0ksgT2DdQYYJyOxTYmPe0xKjK


Watching Russian politics unfold carefully, a planned offensive to secure Pontus and the Anatolian coastline was one that needed to be timed carefully. Due to the sheer strength and manpower of the Russian forces, a drawn-out confrontation was largely against Imperial interests completely. Elysian and Hellenic commanders would jointly organise their plans to seize the region away from Russia, where they could only do so while the Tsardom was distracted with a major conflict.

The Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth, one of the great powers of Eastern Europe, would provide Elysian the opportunity of a lifetime. The Commonwealth, which had successfully resisted Russian attempts of subjugation, had declared war against the Tsardom with the aims of seizing the Russian capital of Moscow. A confrontation between both Slavic realms would likely be a drawn out and lengthy campaign, with hundreds of thousands of lives to be lost along both sides. The Empire would simply not care about the war between the Commonwealth or the Tsardom, what mattered was securing Anatolia and ensuring that Russia would never see a strip of rightful Hellenic territory under their greedy claws again.

MKfZiZ9Cd1aaTX1wXEAZfGDKfz1PcbhJBNfQePA-xtGPdHNQVQdkvxYyfO6Ku5ESX4k-AK_VkKODK9bRFYmjIk2vr2KT9Db-nJHURVn1mEormo4G35J43Ll6z5d5sdGvYg8e1Eew


Elysian soldiers were prepared to launch a lightning campaign along the coastline, aimed to deliberately hurt the Tsardom and throw them across the Black Sea. The target was to capture the Trebizond, once the home for the Pontic Greeks before its conquest by the Ottoman Empire, where the Turks had violently evicted the Pontics out from their homeland and resettled them in Hellas. From there, the Turks had settled in Pontus and largely converted the area to Islam before Russia conquered the area, where it had remained under their control ever since. With the Russians distracted, the Empire would declare war against their former ally on March 17th 1619.

vZ0Bmo5K30GzOJbxnFdMykmL8BGFNtub39c2Y1s8ZKuo1QtofMSxWG11mw7wyDL_imW6U70GvXUbPAg2VjkBMzGZc64hL9JPlKDpQr9o19ChF4jNGt4h_fYnWy0B0PGxcQqHs5Gd


Almost immediately, the Anatolian coastline would be stormed by well over fifty thousand soldiers. The major port city of Sinop would be captured after a lengthy siege that lasted for over seven months. Elysian control of the port would give the Imperial navy a reliable location to resupply and maintain the blockade of the Eastern Black Sea. Russian Soldiers who had been located to the region to protect the Tsardom interests would suddenly find themselves outnumbered and outmaneuvered completely by aggressive Elysian soldiers.

uTv-T1c6wFEZWEj6MapwLNeDiH30vlORpEa8DUZ_eWA4j8OGYL5OpuAv_ESttrHu6fzcfM1sohOfKGyN6RDkbxZl7OcTHMDwZKReonTvs5wbMz5SumNLj9IA9B8Wtnc4nCknHZ1j


After the capture of Canik, Turkish separatists would rise up in Kayseri and Bozok under the command of a local leader, Said Ohrilli. Despite the ongoing wad, Ohrilli was able to raise tens of thousands of rebels to his cause and were well led and equipped. Alarmed by the danger that this could pose to Elysian efforts in the war, one of the Thema was tasked to break off all official war actions and eliminate the Turkish rebellion.

Semi0HMUi8f7Foi904z9JTYDPNEn8uh0mfgw7DA1QT4HQVseVSUHtIq4rq8PboBPpMj5jnSNtkXn1u972A6_ZwSdxtuMlQixnxlluje7xtnMocGzvKMWa6kLJxnvuaoahh_1V9qg


7_R8GYAiK8Fp1smt2PkyEyRlxFhIcBIX4mOR9IBFRf8s70ItWQ-b5m6aTumziy4qfCWh4EjKLfuIqf7_5fgsM-MJuC0sf0oN9aOLbjWI3_kqBfh75-nCsGT6LUL3z7m4RBgHPk4R


After a quick battle at Bosok, Ohrilli would be chased back to Kayseri where him and his rebels would be completely outmaneuvered by the veteran Elysians. Encircling the rebel leader inside of the town, commander Mavrikios Argyros would tighten the noose around the town and strangle the rebels slowly and painfully, weakening them before brutally finishing them off completely. A vast majority of the Turkish rebels would perish, and Said Ohrilli would be captured and imprisoned in Constantinople. Once the flame of his rebellion was well and truly snuffed out, Said would sentenced to death and would be hanged.

EdZ-ckxTwlz9Yl5BxDHOdz-iGH5_Zl8ARm2UuVRTYumR7-nmOC2P5JGjYi68NEyfVKnfmfGvexu-IAQ4sv0BBwoUfZpDnwVPz_IthlBnCwhTZv-PkneTW6iKSlkt8TKOIlJVmq17


With Russian armies trapped and destroyed whenever they marched into the Anatolian coastline, Trebizond would surrender to the Empire. Elysian Commanders would march their forces into the city, where they would receive a less then warm welcome from the city’s Turkish inhabitants. The remaining Hellenic civilians in the city that defied Ottoman law and remained into the city erupted into cheering, finally being liberated after so very long.

pcUIv4QuQKGC6u5Z-1x-qCt-7y00OknKpsJu04tOKCBAKfNgInfvXxoxZg886LKppQ6q2ERCkHAarL0EfiBiMpPLjhjhWTmoGOid9tIDtNili7HbgWBj16qVq0v0KVm3bTi6ORRi


5mK9TW4-vCJBD-JIFPmJ9ai28HEA3i6mjjsiPUFKjx55xdRDaA3-1bEZl9QPd5cU0crUPV-5-6rL8d_3fLhLLhtvympQAVEW4v76B-uVozJkeAdPiGIz4jg1pgKqVFONOTD4qpJU


And in only a matter of two years, the Tsardom and the Empire would sign for peace on favourable Elysian terms. Russia would cede the entirety of the Anatolian coastline to Elysia, but be allowed to hold the port city of Batumi in neighboring Georgia. Not wanting to antagonist their former friend for any longer, Russian and Elysian diplomats agreed to the terms on January 10th 1621.

And with Russia kicked out of Anatolia by the Elysians, they were allowed to focus with their ongoing war with the Commonwealth. In the Balkans, the Empire had been making preparations to fully incorporate the Balkan subjects into Constantina for quite some time, while Anatolia was almost completely under Elysian rule. With the time coming to reinforce the region from any potential future threat, Elysian eyes started to dart towards the south, where trouble would occur near the Cradle of Christianity.