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Empire of the Mediterranean: An Interactive Aragon AAR

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Your Majesty,
I believe my plan doesn't need any changes at the moment and that is why it should stay the same. I would also like to back down from funding a colony in Gold Coast, and instead I would like to fund a colony in the province of Ludanda. The natives aren't as aggressive as in other regions and the province borders the "nation" of Kongo. If the natives over there are so organized they might be open to trade, or they might even own many treasures. I have also heard rumours about them embracing Christendom. So I believe that a colony right next to them might be very beneficial.
Maxime de Saint-Pierre,
Head of the Trans-Pyrenean Trading Company, Grandmaster of Aragon
 
Armand shakes his head in dismay when word reaches Constantinople of the fate of the Papal State. He dispatches a letter to the Aragonese court with details of various events and several grievances of the Greek court that require settling.

((No change in Byz policy))
 
alscon said:
'A brilliant idea, I must say.' Montségur grinned at Karunga. 'Your people make excellent slaves since they realized that they are not up to a fight. And who is better suited than criminals to capture them? A true genius, our good king.' The skull's jaw opened, and Montségur had to fix it again. 'Is it so surprising? Well, old friend, with the prisoners here, there are good news as well. We are going into the continent's interior! I have heard of the Mali gold mines for some time now...'

'Even more natives ahead, monseigneur!' His officer Valeyron shouted. 'I fear we must return.' Denis Philippe cursed again. He could mow down some thousand savages, but these were well-organized for a change. He was confident that he could win, but this would cause a true war, and he needed the crown's approval for that. 'Then we have no choice. To the coast, men.' The gold was out of his reach again. He fired a bullet in their direction, but it never hit anything. He would have loved to justify himself for defending, but alas the Oyo were not falling for this trap. Just as he reached his camp again, a messenger from Valencia arrived.
'What now? Am I to watch the bloody Jolofians again?'
'No, my lord. The king wishes for you to embark for the New World...'
Montségur didn't listen to the messenger much longer. Finally! He would leave this cursed continent with its savages, prisoners and million beasts for the New World! Overjoyed, he readied himself for the crossing. It will be hard, but certainly worth it - much more than his time in Africa!

((I'll add something about the Peraltas later. Also, @zenphoenix , how about we write some IC about our conquistadores' meeting in the jungle?))
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((I thought my conquistador wasn't deployed yet...))
 
zenphoenix said:
((I thought my conquistador wasn't deployed yet...))
Click to expand...

((He even found Cibola... though not the golden one.))
______________________________________________________

When the Peraltas came to request their assistance, Montségur didn't need to think long before answering.He had heard 'native attack' and 'gold', and that was enough to convince him. But the men he had sent out to confirm the Peraltas' story hadn't returned yet, and the site of the attack was a terrible sight. 'How savage does one have to be to do this to a man?' He thought as he saw the bodies. But his thoughts went to the gold again very quickly. 'It is no use, they aren't around here', the scouts reported. Well, maybe they were at the mine?

'They did WHAT?' Montségur shouted, again, still unable to believe it. How can someone attack a gold mine - and bury the gold? 'It must be because it is their land', the oldest of the Peraltas said. He was as desperate as the conquistador, and deep in sorrow. 'We shouldn't have ventured alone in uncolonized territory...' His sobbing was cut short abruptly by the shout of a scout. 'We found them!'

A small camp. Some huts maybe... Or not. Well, at least not any more. The natives didn't expect the Peraltas to strike back. They had no idea of the Aragonese expedition after all. Montségur led a furious charge, to avenge the Peraltas, and also to avenge the gold mine. Looking around as he may, he couldn't find any bit of gold around - well, that was not entirely true. During the attack, he sighted a girl carrying around a nugget - admiring it. So some of them aren't entirely mad... While the tribe around was massacred in revenge, he sheltered the girl. He wanted a living native around him anyway for multiple purposes - that he had left Karunga behind in Africa was just one of them - and she had proven to be clearly superior by the way she looked at the gold between her hands. He was sure they would find more gold. And this time, bring it back home!
 
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((Ah, I must've missed the last update, sorry. Here's what I could put together for de Leon's IC))

Juan hacked his way through the jungle, fuming over the monk's lies. The New World was nothing like he had expected, but it was adventure nonetheless. Several of his men had died in native raids, but the savages were easily crushed. How could God have left so many of them in savagery? None of them had even heard of Jesus or the Gospel!
After a long time, they had arrived at "Cibola." It was just a regular native village, only slightly larger than other villages. As expected, all of them were enraged, but the monk had disappeared by then to parts unknown. Perhaps he was a Portuguese or Castilian agent, sent to mess with them. They would never know, and Juan wished for him to be eaten by cannibals as "long pig."
They stayed in Cibola for a couple days to rest and stock up on supplies. The natives were friendly, and some even accepted conversion and baptism. After that they set out again, in search of more treasure. Juan hoped that his Fountain of Youth was still out there, somewhere.
As they marched through the jungle, he wondered what they would find next. There were Seven Cities of Gold, after all. One of them not being gold did not mean the other six were likewise. They could still get rich and famous.
All of a sudden they were surrounded by another group of people. Instinctively, Juan drew his sword, the same one passed down through the generations from the days of Rome, and lunged at the nearest man. It was then that he and his men realized that the "attackers" were wearing armor and speaking Aragonese..
"Montségur?!" shouted Juan.
"Yes, it's me," replied the other conquistador.
"What are you doing here?" Juan asked.
"Exploring, just as you are," said Montségur.
After some drinking and discussion about Cibola, they resolved to work together towards their common goal: find more gold for the glory of Aragon.
 
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ML8991 said:
Then he would sail through the Pillars of Hecakles, up towards the French Kingdom, to meet with their monarch in Paris ((mike, in all places listed, can you say who is the king/ queen, or in the case of the HRE, who the emperor is atm)) and then to England, to talk in London, sailing out from there he would talking in the lowlands briefly before meeting the congolomeration of states that described the Holy Roman Empire, ending up eventually at Venieza, before sailing around aragonese Italy, and thus landing back in Rome.
Click to expand...

((I tried to include most of the countries you'd visit during your trip. Remember that France's king had low legitimacy when he was an heir, so by all likelihood he is a bastard or his succession was contested. Brabant controls most of the Lowlands, which is why it was included. Portugal and Provence are there just in case you decide to stop there on your trip. There's probably an election in Venice within the next month of gameplay, so the Doge may be trying to win a re-election. As for Saxony and Austria, they are both decent-sized powers you'd probably have to pass through to reach Bohemia, the Holy Roman Emperor. Or should I say Empress. Not sure what to think of a Bohemian Habsburg Empress ruling the HRE. :p

))

zenphoenix said:
and speaking Spanish...
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((Castilian spy! No good Aragonese man would be caught dead speaking the vile language of the Castilian scum. In all seriousness though, wouldn't people from Aragon speak Aragonese or Catalan around this point? I'm not familiar with the languages of Iberia.))

Xs93UHA.png

I shall be adjusting my plans for the following years as so:

While the treasury has been doing well, in fact very well, we must account for our new efforts overseas. The old plan shall remain, but military maintenance will not be lowered below 50% as long as an expedition is exploring the new continents. We must ensure they are properly supplied. Ideally, military maintenance will remain at full if the treasury is not burdened by the costs.

As for our navy, recent efforts to improve our infrastructure and better ship designs have allowed for us to support a larger navy with less costs. Thus it is time for further expansion. First of all, we should construct two more carracks, raising our total to five. These should help us better protect our colonies out in the much more hostile Atlantic. We must also keep in mind that while our navy is the largest, the Venetians still possess more galleys. To combat this threat, five more galleys should be constructed, raising our total to forty. Trade must not be neglected either. Five more caravels should be built to add to either of the trade fleets or to serve as a new one elsewhere. If our treasury is in a good position, or if the composition of our armies is ever increased, we should also consider building a few more transports to better serve our army's needs. Such a naval expansion should serve well enough for the time being.

- His Majesty, Ferran III de Trastámara, King of Aragon and Protector of the Greeks
 
Michaelangelo said:
((Castilian spy! No good Aragonese man would be caught dead speaking the vile language of the Castilian scum. In all seriousness though, wouldn't people from Aragon speak Aragonese or Catalan around this point? I'm not familiar with the languages of Iberia.))
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((Castillans speak castillian. Aragon is the major Kingdom in Spain therefore Aragonese = Spanish.))
 
Keinwyn said:
((Castillans speak castillian. Aragon is the major Kingdom in Spain therefore Aragonese = Spanish.))
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((When did the language officially become "Spanish"? Would we still consider our language Aragonese until we form Spain or would it most likely have happened since our conquest of most of Castile? And thus begins a philosophical debate on language. :p))
 
Keinwyn said:
((Castillans speak castillian. Aragon is the major Kingdom in Spain therefore Aragonese = Spanish.))
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((I thought the main culture groups, and therefor languages, of Iberia in real life and in game were Aragonese, Castillian, Basque, Portuguesse, and maybe Galacian. Wouldn't they speak Aragonese then, since all of Iberia would just be the kingdom of Iberia, and if we wanted to go with something like that, then they'd speak Iberian, since Aragon is the biggest kingdom in Iberia as far as I'm aware, they'd be otherwise known as the kingdom of Iberia
I could just be completely wrong though, and the kingdom was probably called Hispania, so you can ignore me))
 
Michaelangelo said:
((Castilian spy! No good Aragonese man would be caught dead speaking the vile language of the Castilian scum. In all seriousness though, wouldn't people from Aragon speak Aragonese or Catalan around this point? I'm not familiar with the languages of Iberia.))
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((I'm not really familiar with Spanish languages myself, so I just used Spanish as a default. I could change it to Aragonese though.))
 
zenphoenix said:
((I'm not really familiar with Spanish languages myself, so I just used Spanish as a default. I could change it to Aragonese though.))
Click to expand...

((I was just joking around. It's just that the word Spain or Spanish makes me think of Castile rather than Aragon, so I'm hoping our kingdom will go a less Castilian route. :D))
 
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The scout couldn't hide his excitement as he ran back to the expedition. 'Helmets! I saw steel helmets in the distance!'
Steel helmets? Had they found some advanced natives? No, certainly not. Montségur still couldn't believe how some savage who buried gold could protect himself with steel, not even how he could produce it. Portuguese? Castillians? Or perhaps Aragonese? De Leon was on an expedition as well... 'Helmets, you say? Well, what kind?'
'I don't know. All I have seen are ours.' Montségur would have loved someone with experience from the last Castillian War, but he could probably not distinguish them himself. After some time in unknown territory, all Europeans somehow looked the same, he was sure. 'If we don't know who they are, then we will proceed like this...'
Shortly after, the men had surrounded the other group and were closing in, arquebuses ready to fire. Europeans, no doubt. If they were hostile, Montségur would have some pleasure extracting their knowledge of this region and stopping their expedition right here... Maybe they even carried some gold... But no, he heard them speak Aragonese. Must be Leon's expedition. He made a sign to lower the weapons and two men close to him gave a sign of relief. That is when a man lunged at him.
He was quick to parry, and Leon realized his mistake before he was shot by Valeyron, who was ready to free his commander.

Some time later, Denis had swallowed his anger of the attack enough to enjoy Juan's company. 'Cibola, eh? That monk might not have been entirely wrong - I saw a tribe who destroyed a profitable gold mine!'
'A mine? You think they might have sacked the golden city as well?
'Possible.' Montségur waved at the native girl. 'She might be able to tell us one day. She's from said tribe, and I am teaching her Aragonese for now. She saved a nugget, and I think she might be useful. Perhaps even lead us to golden Cibola's remains!' His eyes sparkled.
De Leon had something else in mind. His voice seemed lost as he answered. 'Or to the Fountain of Youth...'
'Or there. Well, what was Cibola like then?'

The two conquistadores talked on a bit. Friendly natives in Cibola. Savages devastating the Peralta's mine. Poison Rock. Africa. They were much alike, had a common goal and the dangers of the journey were omnipresent. They would continue together, at least for a while.
 
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((Decided to stop lurking and first post)) Name: Miguel Villanova
Date of birth: March 9 1510
Class: courtier (hopeful colonist)
Religion: Catholic
Bio: A pig farmer who owned a medium sized farm. He heard about the colonization of the "new world" and decided he could stake a claim at starting one of the largest farm in the world.
Traits: Gluttonous, humble, greedy
((If not accepted as a character I hope at least he gets a mention as a early member of a colony))
 
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Etxeto-arms.gif

A Message from Duque Tomas II Etxeto of House Etxeto
​

In a rare sight, the Duque di Navarra arrives to the Royal Court to make a speech.

"My Lord, King of Aragon and Elsewhere,

I come to beseech you to address the current being of our extra-Iberian colonies. These lands, claimed by savages for God and King, are now governed by rough and tumble men. I ask that the nobility of this realm be given its due to rule these new lands in your name, as is your right and ours."
 
My Liege,

As Chancellor I propose the following plan:

Declare War on Castile when Provence ends their war with Castile, their lands will be ripe for the picking and the weak must suffer what they must.

And also the following as long term directives to be aimed towards for as long as I or similarly minded people are chancellor:

Consolidate our control of the Iberian peninsula, we must endeavour to expand our holdings at Home until we have control of the entire Iberian Continent, and to this end we should begin looking at moves against every other power that holds lands that are rightfully ours.

Look to take as many islands in the Mediterranean as we can, with Corsica being foremost amongst them. Any isolated Genoese or Venetian provinces outside of Italia should be taken in time by ourselves to lower them and to make their final conquest easier. But this directive would target all small powers whom we can influence easily, not just merchant republic holdings outside of Italia.

Your Grace,

Jaume Limmona, Chancellor of the Realm and Duke of Naples and Capua
 
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As Count of Sevilla, I object to the Chancellor's plan. I am shocked that the Duke of Naples and Capua suggests that the Crown shall attack a Catholic Moneastic Order! As true Catholics, we have to protect those who fight and have fought the infidels for centuries. What will His Holiness Pope Stephen and Aragonese cardinals think when Aragonese soldiers invade a religious order? The Knights fought bravely against the infidels in the past and if anything we should consider supporting them.

~ Antonio di Arezzo, Count of Sevilla
 
Let me be the first to say that I emphatically support our chancellor's plan. Though I too share the excitement felt by many of the court in regards to the New World, we must focus on our known enemies and the known wealth that continue to be present in "The Old World." Quit tramping around the jungle like some Portuguese 4th son and defend your homes and King. We have nearly vanquished the Castillianos and we can finish them in 15 years!

As for de Arezzo's response, where was the piety of your Tuscan Bank when they raped the Papal States of every valuable in the name of the Florentine Republic? If you can support a attack on the holy father, surely you may support a attack on a decadent order of secular ruling Frenchmen? The Knights of Rhodes have long since lost their holy purpose; now they serve a more seductive master: Venetian coin.

Cardinal-Archbishop Raffaelo Mòdena of Cagliari, Primate of Sardinia
 
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Pope Stephen set out quickly on his journey,
There was little need to stay, although he had successfully condemned the Tuscan Snake by outsing them from the fold, and thus excommicating the people and their nation.

But he thus continued on his journey, he took a relatively short boat journey to the isle of Sardinia, where he had informed Cardinal Mòdena of his expected arrival. And thus the two men met, and discussed the position asked for, as well as other ecclessatical affairs, like the interesting proposition of the Chancellory of Aragon.

((want to do a IC RP Co-op @Von Habsburg ?))
 
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