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Macke11

Used to write AARs
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Sep 14, 2014
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Eagle Rising:
The Tale of Roman Restoration
Table of Content:

Prologue: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 (Coming soon.)



Welcome, my dear readers! It's that time again.:cool: Some of you may recognise me and some of you may not, but I hope that you, whichever category you fit in, will tag along on this tale. Perhaps I can get to know a couple more wonderful AARlanders!:)

As the title suggests, the AAR will be centred around a Roman (which might expand to cover a few) with ambitions to restore Rome in all its former glory. I will be starting in 511 A.D., using the "When the World Stopped Making Sense" mod, WtWSMS for short, and I reserve the right to use "cheats" (i.e. console commands) and mod the game further for my creative AAR purposes, since the tale is what I will focus on, rather than gameplay. The plan is not yet fully laid out, but generally speaking I intend the tale to be written mostly in the narrative style.

This AAR is likely not to maintain the same regular update schedule as others, because of various real-life reasons, but I feel that I must get back into writing and maintain some kind of presence in AARland until I hopefully return in full force one day. I posted this little introduction to probe to see if there is any interest in this concept and also because I think this to be the best way for me to get writing, so I don't hesitate too much.

I will end this brief introduction by informing you that I hope to have something to offer you tomorrow or on Saturday.:)

P.S. To those who I almost promised a HoI3 AAR and those who did not get an AAR in Swedish, I want to say that even if that didn't become the case, I hope that you will find this AAR equally entertaining.:):rolleyes:
 
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A new AAR - will follow :)

Also WtWSMS is great to read about.
 
A new Macke AAR, well worth to subscribe to! :)
 
Ah my friend, I was hoping you would venture into authAARland again! The game type doesn’t matter to me ;). And I love Rome and the idea of its Phoenix-like rise from the ashes of the Old Empire! Looking forward to where you go with this. :)
 
Having followed your AAR in Swedish and helped out developing the mod, I will subscribe and follow this thread as well. :)
 
A new AAR - will follow :)

Also WtWSMS is great to read about.

Thank you, I'm glad to have you aboard on this venture!:) I must agree with you that WtWSMS works well on AARs. It offers a different experience from the base game for everyone involved: the player, the writer (which I am both) and the reader, one which I hope to make use of.

A new Macke AAR, well worth to subscribe to! :)

Heartily welcome Nikolai and thank you for the compliment! It's worth a lot!:) I hope not to disappoint as the story commences.

Ah my friend, I was hoping you would venture into authAARland again! The game type doesn’t matter to me ;). And I love Rome and the idea of its Phoenix-like rise from the ashes of the Old Empire! Looking forward to where you go with this. :)

Welcome, my friend! I was hoping that you would tag along, so I am obviously glad to have you!;) Why I chose this plot is unknown even to myself, but I side with your opinion. There is something appealing about seeing the old glory and order restored. Whether it will be a walk in the park or a struggle remains to see, but a fact worth bearing in mind is that the Ostrogoths have had some decades to secure their power. But I've heard that failure is at times as entertaining as success, so perhaps there is no need to worry about that...:p

Having followed your AAR in Swedish and helped out developing the mod, I will subscribe and follow this thread as well. :)

Needless to say, it's an honour to have one of the mod developers reading and it warms to know that my little Brandenburg story left a good enough impression for you to follow another of my works. I'm glad to keep your readership!:) If you feel like it, context to historical events is welcome as they appear, since you as one of the modders would likely be more learnt on the subject.
 
Prologue
Jun, 499 A.D. – Denia, Carthago Inferior


The young Flavius Cornelius knew already that something was wrong. He knew it since the faint sounds of battle cries had appeared in the air, when he was going to the local bakery. When galloping hooves were heard they only confirmed his suspects. They approached at high speed and the horses would enter town soon. Fear and worry were instilled in Flavius, who wondered desperately if these were friends or enemies.

Father, who was a resigned senator, and most of the townsmen, all of them Romans, had joined the rebellion against the goths a month ago and had departed soon after saddling their horses and gathering the assets they would need in the field. Flavius was unsure what everything that happened actually meant, but father had hastily mentioned something about merging with Maximus' troops from Murcia, to fight the Visigothic king together. It was rumoured that King Alaric intended to limit Roman influence and quell their culture, and this was what the men had set out to defend against.

But Flavius was worried because it did not matter whom the loyalty of the approaching contingent lay at, for was it Alaric's riders, the town was defenceless, and if it was Flavius' brethren, their return came too soon for a victory to have been won. He could not bear the anxiousness, so the bread he had just ordered was quickly a thing of the past, as he ran toward the outskirts of the city, in the direction of the hoofbeats. He heard Reffus, the baker, shout after him to no avail.

He got to the northern end of Denia and gazed through the bordering meadow. At that exact time the horsemen crested a hill and jumped over the fence at the far end. Flavius immediately recognised the eagle banner and of relief he could note that these were Romans. Though, the loose and disorderly formation spoke trouble.

Father was one of the first groups supposed to resemble ranks and when he saw his son standing there he broke off from the squadron. The hooves sent dirt and gravel flying when he reined in the horse, next to Flavius.

"My son, what in Christ's name are you doing out here?!" he exclaimed whilst sliding down from the saddle, "The goths can't be more than a few kilometres behind us! You must go back home to your mother where you're safe!"

The thought of what was about to happen made Flavius feel a chill along his spine, despite the summer heat. A battle would rage in his home city, and not only father and the men risked being killed, but also women, children and old.

"Father, what's happened?" he asked, unwilling to leave him just yet.

Father frowned as he answered, unwilling to look his son in the eyes.

"They defeated us at Valencia. Most of the army shattered, we're the only squadron to have made it home intact. But the Goths won't let us regroup, so they followed us here. Had I been them, I would have done the same. Now, do as I say, son, and get away from here!"

Flavius swallowed, but failed to eradicate the lump in his throat, and when he gave a nod as answer, it was with a look from wetted eyes. He turned and ran back through the paved streets.


* * * * * * * * * *​

The whole city was on guard. Flavius could see that even Gnaeus, the local drunk in the Cornelius quarters, was aware of the situation and waited intently in the crowd on the marketplace in central Denia. People shifted anxiously, women tried to sooth their wailing, small children. Otherwise a deep, expectant silence lay over the town.

The soldiers had dismounted and built barricades in front of the entries to the streets, using furniture from volunteering households. Father, in the role of resigned senator, had highest rank and oversaw the demonstration of improvised military engineering. They pulled up a wagon and the wine barrels from a nearby seller to block one street, tilted stools and tables for cover on another. When galloping horses sounded once again, the men hunkered and waited, resting the pointy ends of their spears on the barricades.

Flavius saw Father exchange words with someone. His hair was greying and he moved with confidence, so the boy assumed that he was a veteran legionary. He nodded affirmatively to Father before walking up to the crowd. In front of them he proclaimed loudly:

"People of Denia, this coming battle risks the safety of you all, so on behalf of our local commander I order you to evacuate the city! Bring only your most valuable possessions and feel free to use our horses! We have no need for them now anyway. But do it immediately!"

The soldier never waited for the reaction, but returned to his position, just in time to see the Goths emerge on top of the same hill he had passed some minutes ago. They thundered forward on thumping hooves and raised swords and axes, drew back spears to thrust with them, howled out their wild war cry.



To be continued...
 
A sobering start! I’m not familiar with the mod or the starting situation, but the prologue paints a grim picture. I get the feeling that bringing about the resurgence of Rome isn’t going to be easy! :confused:
 
I think it is safe to say you are not starting your story from the most auspicious of beginnings.
 
A sobering start! I’m not familiar with the mod or the starting situation, but the prologue paints a grim picture. I get the feeling that bringing about the resurgence of Rome isn’t going to be easy! :confused:

The prologue is mostly meant to describe some relevant details not explained in-game, where he was already aged 24 where I started, so it is only partially based on the game, just as a heads-up. I do this because... not everything about our main character looks very reasonable at first sight.:p I will explain this further when I have introduced you enough to the story.

I'm not too familiar with the specifics of the mod, but the general concept is to bring the setting to the fall of the Western Roman Empire, instead of the Medieval Era. The earliest bookmark is right before Odoacer makes Western Rome crumble and then a few more follow with some decades in between, if I'm not mistaken. I started from the second bookmark. In my opinion it's a great total overhaul mod and really worth playing to get a different experience than from the base game.:)

I think it is safe to say you are not starting your story from the most auspicious of beginnings.

Indeed, you are quite right in saying so, but it's fitting since neither was the Roman situation particularly bright at the time.:D Let us pray for the well-being of Denia.
 
Well, you got me excited... Consider me subscribed.
 
Intriguing. I actually have the old paradox Rome game so am interested in how this goes. Understand re the prologue: a very appropriate start for what will be a narrative story. :)
 
Interesting. Roman restoration (the Old Western Empire, rather than the Justinian style reclamation of the West by the East) has been an interest of mine dating back to when I used to play Age of Empires II. So will be watching this one with interest.
 
I'm not much into Roman stories, I am sad to say, but as this is yours @Macke11, I will definitely follow this with interest! :) A great start and I am excited to see another narrative join in the mix. Good luck with the game as from the opening it will definitely be needed. And great to see a new work!
 
To everyone: the next part of the prologue is likely to come in the closest few days.

Well, you got me excited... Consider me subscribed.

Glad I did! My evil masterplan succeeded!;):p Seriously, thank you! It's of course appreciated to have a the Fan of the Week aboard.:)

Intriguing. I actually have the old paradox Rome game so am interested in how this goes. Understand re the prologue: a very appropriate start for what will be a narrative story. :)

Thanks, good to know that I got that part right!:)

I've been thinking about getting my hands on EU:Rome for a while now, but from the limited experience of playing the steam demo I have found the user interface a tad hard to get a grasp on. Therefore I would prefer an EU:Rome 2 with revised UI, but since it will be some before anything such happens (if it does) I might try the existing game first.

Interesting. Roman restoration (the Old Western Empire, rather than the Justinian style reclamation of the West by the East) has been an interest of mine dating back to when I used to play Age of Empires II. So will be watching this one with interest.

Very welcome!:) I have heard many good things about your story (which I do intend to take a look at), so it's an honour to have you here.:)

The concept of rising from the ashes worked better this way, and it allows for more character focus and intrigue than, say, massing in with Eastern Roman legions. I guess this is what made me walk this path.

How did I miss this? Followed

Another one of the mod developers as a reader? I better be careful with my facts so I don't look like a fool in front of the masters on this time period!:eek::p Welcome, I'm glad to have you aboard!:)

I'm not much into Roman stories, I am sad to say, but as this is yours @Macke11, I will definitely follow this with interest! :) A great start and I am excited to see another narrative join in the mix. Good luck with the game as from the opening it will definitely be needed. And great to see a new work!

I wish you very welcome! What a nice comment! You don't know how heartwarming it is to have you along despite how the theme is not your favourite.:) I have failed to respond to the advice I got in the bAAR thread some time ago, but I think it safe to say that "focusing on the tale" and "making it my story" are indeed becoming helpful.:)

Somewhat unrelated, I have been sporadically reading Into the West for a month or so, and it's been intriguing (and definitely heartrending too) to hear the story about Sonny so far. I am sure the rest of it will be just as good.:) I'll see if I can eventually get on-track with your current works as well.:oops:
 
I've been thinking about getting my hands on EU:Rome for a while now, but from the limited experience of playing the steam demo I have found the user interface a tad hard to get a grasp on. Therefore I would prefer an EU:Rome 2 with revised UI, but since it will be some before anything such happens (if it does) I might try the existing game first.
Hmm, it is a bit old and clunky. I think CK2 would spoil it by comparison: as long as the old game is dirt cheap, it can’t do any harm :confused:. I wouldn’t be paying top dollar for it, though o_O
 
EU: Rome has a great premise, but lacks in execution. I long for a second game, though!
 
Hmm, it is a bit old and clunky. I think CK2 would spoil it by comparison: as long as the old game is dirt cheap, it can’t do any harm :confused:. I wouldn’t be paying top dollar for it, though o_O

EU: Rome has a great premise, but lacks in execution. I long for a second game, though!

Perhaps the CK2 WtWSMS mod is more worthwhile after all? We'll see, but I will at least think twice before buying EU: Rome. Nevertheless, I agree that the idea behind it is good and I whish a successor too.:)
 
Somewhat unrelated, I have been sporadically reading Into the West for a month or so, and it's been intriguing (and definitely heartrending too) to hear the story about Sonny so far. I am sure the rest of it will be just as good.:) I'll see if I can eventually get on-track with your current works as well.:oops:
And you do not know how wonderful that is to hear, @Macke11! I finished that work over a decade ago and it remains my favorite. I would love to hear what you think of it when you get the chance to read through it all. Forum rules suggests that it should not be commented upon now, but please feel free to send me a PM if you should get to the end. It was a labor of love and I hope that you keep with your work to find that very thing (if you have not already. :)) Cheers, sir...and I thank you.

Now...where is that next part of the prologue?! :D