I haven't gotten those picturs yet, but here is an update to kick the game off (location style is city/state/nation):
June 7th, 1419
Outskirts of Münster, Munster, Grand Duchy of Saxony:
Emperor Albert V Dukas looked out over a batllefield somewhere in Germania Minor (Holland). The armies of Saxony numbered in the twenty-thousands, but they were a rag-tag group, hardly armed with more than spears. The Roman army, Kleinerdeutschland Armee marched in numbers around twelve-thousand. Ten-thousand infantry supported by 2,500 cataprachts. The commanding general, a hardly known man from Zeeland, Mj.Gen. Alfred Haus, moved his men with expert timing.
"This war is pointless, it is tearing apart the Orthodox alliance." Albert said to his advisor, Otto von Badenburg. "I mean, Moldavia and Slovakia are at war; Smolnesk, Prussia, Slovakia, Transoxania and Moldavia have left the military alliance; Transoxania is in civil war. We are left with Poland and Russia. The Hejdaz is purging its people of Orthodox inorder to retain islam, yet 78% of the population is orthodox!"
"Poland felt threatened by Sweden's hold in Masovia."
"But we are not threatened by Sweden."
"It is our duty as the defender of all Orthodox people to defend an Orthodox country like Poland. The war shall be over soon. Admiral von Krain has sunk the Swedish Grand Fleet off the coast of Gotland, and Denmark has taken Norway. We control over half the major trade centers in Europa; this war is very foolish on their part. Sweden will drop out soon."
"I doubt Saxony will quit without a fight."
"The Billungs are blood relatives of the Dukas', they too will throw in the towel soon."
The Army of Germania Minor crushed, utterly, the army of Saxony. Saxony hoped by moving through Oldenburg, they could attack Zeeland, the capital of Germania Minor; and get Byzantium to cede the territory to them. Unfortunetally for them, the well armed and high spirited Byzantines crushed their enemy outright, and marched on the Saxon capital in Hannover. Mean while, the Army of Gaul moved out of Paris and marched toward Bremen and Hamburg, the only ports of the Saxon Grand Duchy. At the same time, the North Sea Fleet, supported by the West Fleet out of Barcelona blockaded Saxon ports while sinking Swedish ships.
June 7th, 1419
Basra, Irak, Empire of Byzantium
"Sir?" an random messenger addresses.
"Yes?" Demitrios Dukas, a far-flung relative of Albert V, asks.
"I have a message from the Persian Govenor, he asks that we mobilize the Army of Irak to put down muslim revolts in Fars. The rebels, he says, number six-thousand in strength and the Persian Army is busy dealing with revolts in the northern end of the state."
"Very well, send out the Irak army.... keep them well feed. Those deserts are hell on the troops. Not all arabian cities are as modern as Basra!.... or as German...."
June 21, 1419
Hannover, Hannover, Grand Duchy of Saxony
Albert V rode his heavily armoured, black horse through the main street of the Saxon capital. He was there to recieve a combined total of 218 pounds of gold from the Swedish and Saxon governments. Unbeknownst to the denizens of the city, but very well known to the Byzantine troops, the Russian army was only fifteen miles away and approaching quickly. They had come out of Prussia, which stretched from Livonia to Meckelnburg and into Scandinavia. His troops searched the town, warning women and children of the Russian advance. Finally Albert reached the main cathedral, where he'd be presented the gold. A representative of the swedish government watched over the cerimony, as, in spite, a Saxon and Swedish flag were both systematically burned, and the Byzantine flag raised over the townhall.
"I'm sorry we had to go down this road," Albert said, through clenched teeth. The gold was picked up and removed as the Byzantines left the city. Tomorrow the city wouldn't be there, another victim of the Russian horde.
August 2nd, 1420
Konstaninopolis, Thracia, Empire of Byzantium
Albert paced his palace, up and down stairs through coridors and across parks and by ponds. The Orthodox alliance had crumbled, Transoxania had asked for assistance to regain lost provences on the Caspian coast and what it had lost to Sibir, the mongol state to the north and east. Poland, Russia and Byzantium complied, but the others refused and returned to their squabilling. The Slovak army reached the capial of Moldavia, just as the Moldavian army reached the capital of Slovakia.
His family, especially his wife, Oneca, watched him with anxiety. Their two sons, Guthard and Augustin were playing in one of the many fountains of the palace; their five daughters littered the dinning hall, having tea with their glass dolls, a gift of the Khan of Tirmuid for helping them with a revolt on the Byzantine/Tirmuid border. Though a muslim, he was still a good friend of the open-minded Emperor.
"What is wrong, dear?" Oneca asked earnestly.
"The Empire is powerful, the empire is rich.... but are the people happy? I am going to make an investment, a very expensive investment. I am going to build four grand art institutes, and a dozen or so refineries so our people can enjoy wine as they enjoy works of art. Maybe it will help convert the catholics across Gaulia, Britannia and Germania Major."
"The catholics believe in the same lord, and his son as we do, why persecute them?"
"They are no persecuted! It is just... if they deny my loeadership of the church, they can deny my leadership of the country!"
"Very unlikely, there is always a state army within a week's march of any point, and provencial militias to control the porblem in the mean time. A revolt is unlikely."
"Still, those art institutes will be built, as will the refineries. People have money in this country. They are not serfs like those in Russia or those in Germany and Saxony. There isn't constant war like on the Irish island. They need something to buy, we need more resources. This world is too small."
"Maybe one day, a brave explorer will find the way to sail from Iberia to Tirmuid."
November 29th, 1426
Bahrein City, Irak, Empire of Byzantium
On a beautiful beach, on the eastern end of the island facing the expanse of the Indian Ocean, amazed beach-goers watched as a small ship washes up on shore. The local garrison surrounds the foreign ship, whoes flag have enblazened upon them a red dragon. A man stepped out, and began to speak to the troops in an unrecognizable jibberish. His skin was darker than the local populace of Germans, burnt by years in the sun. He looked at them with what seemed to be squinted eyes. Eventually they gave him some paper and he etched what had happened and where he cam from.
He came from a far off city, whoes people were being invaded by a large agressor to the north. His city, the capital, was known as Hanoi, capital of the Dai Viet. His people were invaded by the Chinese, for revolting many years ago. His junk was sunk, and he sailed on his raft looking for home, but drifted around the indian ocean living off fish, until he landed in India. There, he believed, he was in Siam, so his plan was to walk back to Dai Viet. He walked across the whole of India, to a port city were he got a raft and planed to sail to Dai Viet, thinking he was in Singapore. Then he drifted to the shores of Byzantium. His knowledge gave the Byzantines what they needed to know, there was more world out there.
December 1st, 1430
Sochi, Transgeorgia, Byzantine Empire
Albert V watched as the Army of Asia Minor marched off to fight against the tribes of Sibir. No Byzantine knew far far into the wilderness Sibir went, but they were willing to march to the end of the earth for their Emperor. Little did they know, that is where they were headed.