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Oh man why does Baghdad always get annihilated! If the Mongols don't do the job some Byzantine warmonger like Alexios comes along. ;) :p

Anyway I ask myself if Alexios will be satisfied with this campaign or whether the pursuit of glory will drive him even further.

~Lord Valentine~
 
And so Baghdad is in orthodox hands, what happened after the siege remembers me of Alexander's destruction of Persepolis
 
Heaven On Earth

Emperor Alexios II: The Song Of Victory
(Mood Music)

CaesarExhorts.jpg

After the capture of Baghdad, the war was effectively over. The Sultan of the Turks was paraded through the streets of the city and executed in front of his own people. Order collapsed throughout the entire Seljuk Empire. Turkish princes on the outskirts of the empire revolted, carving out their own miniature kingdoms.

Meanwhile, after securing Iraq, the massive Orthodox armies moved into Persia. Persia held the last, pitiful remnants of the Turkish army. Those handfuls of men, numbering at most 10,000, were no match for the 100,000 Orthodox soldiers. Eventually, by the end of 1202, the Seljuk Empire that once nearly destroyed the Orthodox Empire at Manzikert, was now gone, crushed beneath the iron fist of Orthodoxy. The old enemy of Constantinople was gone, once and for all.

Celebrations were held throughout the Empire. Alexios II returned to Constantinople with his most lavish and greatest triumphal parade yet. Thousands of victorious soldiers paraded through the streets of the City. Flower petals flew through the air. Cymbals and drum created a clamor that filled the ears of all. And yes, more naked women jumped on the young Emperor.

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A depiction of the Great Triumph of 1202

In just 2 years, the once feared empire of the East had been obliterated. In just 2 years, the Orthodox Empire gained all of Iraq and most of Persia. The Empire would celebrate Alexios II The Dragon for a long time. While his deeds weren’t as world-changing as the deeds of Alexios I The Great, he was a fantastic Emperor who greatly empowered the Empire and eliminated it’s old enemy.

For the rest of his reign, the Empire remained at peace. Its coffers filled with gold and its streets were bountiful with the products of the East. Alexios II slowed down his playboy lifestyle and spent his days running the Empire and converting the non-Orthodox populace of the Empire. The Orthodox Empire was the most powerful nation in the world. Until 1237, when a force appeared on the outskirts of the Empire, that would change the world forever.

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The destructive horde approaching from the distance
 
KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!

Woot woot, nakes woman and khaan, the best update of the year! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I really hope you have modded the khan a bit better, not small armies for them, but HORDES!

I allways add to those events some zeros. :p

And what is yer BB now?
 
Finally... I've been waiting for the Mongols the whole AAR! :p

And more naked young women, great! :D
 
Just finished reading the whole thing thus far (man, I have a lot of catching up to do on these forums...), and I have to say that, so far, what I've seen is impressive :) Inheriting Russia like that was a real stroke of luck and certainly adds a fair bit of credibility to the concept of a unified Orthodox Empire.

Looks like fun times w/ the Mongols ahead. Hopefully we won't see them sweep into Constantinople :eek: , but still, it looks like there might be a pretty epic confrontation in the works... (Assuming you give them a little time to build and don't just decide to play Whack-a-Mole with 'em, of course ;) )
 
CountArach said:
Can Orthodoxy overcome its next great challenge? I hope so.

Khan they? :D We shall see. It's going to be a great beattle, for sure.
 
Heaven On Earth

Europe 1237: The Last Compline Of An Age
(Mood Music)

180px-SilverAsperManuelIKomnenosOfTrebizond1237-1263.jpg

In 1237, Alexios II died at the age of 70. His reign lasted an astonishing 57 years. He had gone from a young boy-Emperor, to a teenage genius, to a glorious warrior-Emperor who brought down an empire. His death was much mourned by the populace. One could say he was the most popular Orthodox Emperor, aside from Alexios I The Great. Alexios II’s funeral was no less lavish and grand than his life and celebrations. One last time, young naked women threw themselves on his casket. He was succeeded by his 19 year old son, Manuel II. Manuel II took after his father in the department of military genius.

Aside from the collapse of the Seljuk Empire, there were two other changes in Europe that had occurred from 1180 to 1237. The first and most significant of these two was the Second Iberian War between the alliance of Leon and Aragon, and Castille. About 60 years before, Castille had devastated those two nations and cut their sizes in half. So in 1226, the alliance declared war on Castille and invaded the country with their combined powers.

At first they only looked to recover their old territories. But as the weakness of the Castilian army and state became evident, Leon and Aragon decided to advance further into Castilian territory. Eventually, the pressure of a two front war became too much for Castille and the entire nation collapsed and was divided between Leon and Aragon.

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A depiction of a Spanish battle

The other, smaller, change in Europe was the English invasion of Scottish controlled Ireland. Aside from starting hostilities between England and Scotland that would last for centuries after, it was also the first “limited war,” in the sense that the two enemies agreed not to fight on British ground. Thus the war took place only on Ireland. This was a mistake on the Scottish part, as the English had much more men than them. Therefore, the English simply concentrated their forces on Ireland and were able to conquer more than half the island before peace was signed.

While the 60 years between 1180 and 1237 had little changes aside from the Orthodox conquest of half the Muslim world, the years after 1237 would change everything. The Mongols, under Ogedei Khan, had appeared on the outer steppes of Europe, ready to invade. Modern estimates of the entire Mongol force are set at about 250,000. While nations like the Orthodox Empire could match the Mongols in numbers, it was the Mongol tactics that would truly cause havoc on Europe.

Europe had had time to prepare ever since news of Genghis Khan had reached them. Still, fear swept across Europe as the Mongols finally appeared from over the Urals and into Russia and Persia. It is said that Manuel II, surely along with many other monarchs, said one last prayer for the age that ended with his father. It was called the “Last Compline Of An Age.”

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A map of Europe in 1237, on the eve of the Mongol invasion
 
Capibara said:
Everything's ready for a bloody war

More than bloody :D

---

I will do my best to make the coming updates incredibly depressing, ominous, and epic. And I see no better way to accentuate this than by bidding goodbye to the upbeat folk metal and saying hello to the depressing choirs of the Eastern Orthodox Church. So prepare to imagine Mongols charging in slow motion, to sad choirs mourning Christ's death. :p I'll do my best to make this the climax of the AAR.



:) asd
 
Great! Mood music has been excellent so far and I'm sure the new one will get that depressing and desperate tone to the mongol updates
 
Enewald said:
No rebellous dukes in central europe? :p

Well, can Mongols destroy you like they destroyed china. :D

Europe looks ready to be taken. :rolleyes:

That would mean the end, but at least the mongols should take all of Russia and the Middle East :D