Heaven On Earth: Part One
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Yep, the empire just looks to vast and awesome. I am looking forward to a epic struggle and a more sinister atmosphere.Capibara said:That would mean the end, but at least the mongols should take all of Russia and the Middle East
~Lord Valentine~
Lord Valentine said:
He can fight the Mongols for the next hundred years, he'll be defeated and we'll see the resurrection of the Empire in the EU3 era
Capibara said:
I could live with that! As long as there is no sack of Constantinople like during the 4th Crusade. Whenever I read about that event I get so sad I could cry.
~Lord Valentine~
Lord Valentine said:I could live with that! As long as there is no sack of Constantinople like during the 4th Crusade. Whenever I read about that event I get so sad I could cry.
~Lord Valentine~
Not so much as the fall of Constantinople
Capibara said:Not so much as the fall of Constantinople
DON'T MENTION THAT INFAMOUS EVENT!
But you are right I hate to think about that one to, but in my mind the 4th Crusade was still the greatest cataclysmic disaster in the empires history. Without it you probably don't have a "fall of Constantinople".
Anyway it's up to asd21593 to see to it that neither of the two events takes place in this wonderful alternative reality.
~Lord Valentine~
Lord Valentine said:DON'T MENTION THAT INFAMOUS EVENT!
But you are right I hate to think about that one to, but in my mind the 4th Crusade was still the greatest cataclysmic disaster in the empires history. Without it you probably don't have a "fall of Constantinople".
Anyway it's up to asd21593 to see to it that neither of the two events takes place in this wonderful alternative reality.
~Lord Valentine~
Maybe, but the Empire must still suffer the Mongol invasion
The first thing the Mongols did was make an alliance with the nomadic peoples living east of the Volga. Though they were officially part of the Orthodox Empire, they were never fully converted to Orthodoxy, nor had they adopted Imperial culture. They had always resented Orthodox rule. And because of this, they gladly joined their Mongol cousins in invading the Empire.
The Mongols divided their forces into 3 armies. The total number of Mongols ready to invade Imperial Russia was 100,000. On the flanks, armies of 20,000 and 30,000 were set to invade northern Russia and the Crimea, respectively. In the center was a Mongol force of 50,000, which was set to march for Kiev and the Ukraine.
Mongol movements into Imperial Russia
The Mongols moved quickly across the Volga. Panic spread across the Greek settlers on western side of the Volga. A massive amount of refugees fled to large cities like Kiev and Chersonesos. It is estimated that each of those cities received about 10,000 refugees in the first weeks of the Mongol invasion. Meanwhile, the Mongols were massacring every village, town, and city that put up any sort of resistance. Many towns that felt they could hold out until reinforcements came put up brave defenses. They all fell, reinforcements never came.
Manuel II had decreed that the Mongols must only be faced in sieges and never in open battle. He knew that Imperial armies would be destroyed if they faced the archer-horsemen of the Mongols. Not only were the Mongols to only be faced in sieges, but Manuel II also said that large cities were to be defended. Any city with less than 15,000 inhabitants was to be abandoned. This caused much controversy, and total panic for smaller cities. But Manuel II knew this would be a war of sacrifices and he would need to make the tough decision of abandoning whole provinces if he must.
By late 1237, 30,000 Mongols were at the gates of Chersonesos, the great trading city in the Crimea. The number of defenders in Chersonesos is estimated to be at 20,000. Aside from being a large trading city, Chersonesos was also a large fortress. The Crimean commanders used the strategy of Manuel II and abandoned the outer sectors of Chersonesos.
Meanwhile, a brave force of 3,000 soldiers was defending a narrow pass that led to the port, allowing the populace to frantically evacuate the city. The scene was a horrifying. Thousands of people were rushing towards the boats, stampeding for safety. Behind them, 3,000 soldiers were outnumbered 10 to 1 and were losing fast. The defense force held out for a couple of hours before the Mongols killed all of them and rushed to the beach. The last civilians of Chersonesos were boarding the boats when the Mongols raided the beach. In panic, the naval commanders moved their boats away from the shore, leaving hundreds of people to be massacred.
A modern painting of the evacuation of Chersonesos
After this, the Mongols turned their attention to the horrified defenders of the citadel. They laid siege on the large castle all throughout the winter. The weather was the best friend to the defenders. It killed about 5,000 Mongols. Even though the Crimean winter was so devastating to the Mongols, when spring came in 1238, the Mongols were rejuvenated and immediately charged the walls. They broke through the gates, burning everything in there path. And when the reached the center where the Orthodox troops were, they found a pitiful sight. Before them were only 10,000 Imperial troops. The winter had been even harsher to the Orthodox, who ran low on food and suffered from malnutrition and disease. The starving 10,000 put up a good fight, considering their condition, but eventually they were all killed under a hail of Mongol arrows. Chersonesos fell on March 2nd 1238. It was the first Orthodox city to fall and the Mongols made sure to make an example of it. They burned it to the ground. The news spread throughout the world and sent terror into every mind. Meanwhile, Baghdad and Kiev braced themselves for their incoming sieges.
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And so the mongol hordes initiate their path of destruction and the downfall of the Empire with it
Yeowch. Russia looks like it's going to get trashed. Hope the Mongols don't turn too far south...
Just out of curiosity: Are you playing on Deus Vult, or vanilla CK?
Just out of curiosity: Are you playing on Deus Vult, or vanilla CK?
Hehe, death, a lot of death.
Bagdad, Kiev, Novgorod, Esfahan, Damasq, Ierushalem, Antioch are all going to smoke, a lot.
Great!
Bagdad, Kiev, Novgorod, Esfahan, Damasq, Ierushalem, Antioch are all going to smoke, a lot.
Great!
CountArach said:
nah I think author is just build up excitement to make final victory sweeter...right ?
phargle said:
That's exactly what I was thinking! The emperors strategy might be wise, but leaving wide stretches of the empire defenseless and at the (non-existent) mercy of the Mongols shouldn't prove popular (especially ) with the dynatoi who might have their estates there.
If I recall the period when the Arabs where giving the empire hell in the 7th and 8th century saw emperors being made and unmade at a rapid pace. Perhaps we are going to witness a similar turn of events now.
Anyway great update asd!
~Lord Valentine~
Saint robou, Patron of Time-Travelers And Reenactors
Hello again! The saint for this month is one who has received much praise recently, robou!
1. Congratulations! Tell us a bit about yourself:
Well I am one of the younger members of the forum, like yourself I am 15. I like baked beans and spend far too much time on the forums.
2. What does your username mean?
Well when I created it, I just thought it was a name no one else would a) have or b) ever think of. Of course it has my first name in it and the 'bo' ties into the first 2 letters of my surname. It was quite accidental that last bit
3. How did you discover Paradox games?
I was at a friends house one day when he introduced me to EU2. I bought it and got bored of it. Then i was at a different friends house and met CK and Victoria which he allowed me to borrow seeing he didn't understand how they worked. I never turned my back on Victoria since...
4. How did you discover the forums?
Accident, like most people. I was looking for an FAQ and ran into the forums and then slowly made my way over into AARland due to links in peoples signatures and then jsut started reading more and more.
5. Do you remember your first experience on the forums?
Oh very well. I wanted someone to create an event for Victoria that would annex Natal into the British Empire. I got told to make it myself...
6. Your writing two great AARs at once, how do you deal with it and find the time for each?
I stagger them. Generally, my update pattern is 3-5 days without an update depending on how many replies i get. When i have updated one, i let that get comments while i update the other. Timewise, i just have too much time at the moment due to the Summer Holidays. When those finish i think i will be back down to one.
7. One could say that your primary AAR is “I’m sorry, but you’re not the only…” It is a great AAR with a cinematic feel to it. How do you manage to write such epic narratives?
It was a unique idea having various armies from various timezones all converging on one place at one time. I just built up from that idea to have this beleguered traveller from the future, the only known man from the future, stuck in the middle of it as a wittness and often a belligerent. As for epicness, it is purely personal preference.
8. What was your favorite part to write about?
Oh most definately Chapter 14 with the shock sacrifice of Colonel Vetnyi which was fun to write. No one had quite expected Vetnyi to end that way and it was fun writing to catch people out. The first chapter was also very fun, but they always are the best planned ones.
9. Are you surprised at all the awards and honors you’ve recently received?
The first came as a little shock. I didn't realise my AARs were garnering enough publicity to gain awards. By the second one it felt slightly better, the third one I thought i was loosing my mind, and the fourth award I couldn't believe what i was seeing. It all was so sudden, in fact I think i now hold a record for winning all four AARland awards in the quickest timeframe (4 weeks). I just consider myself lucky and
I guess the awards kind of tagged along with people noticing my work and liking it. I really don't know.
10. Who has influenced your AAR-writing?
For my narrative, most definately canonized. I couldn't really thank him enough. He not only willed me on to start writing again, but the quality of his work really gave me something to aspire too. There are a few others, such as DerKaiser and Comagoosie, but canonized is the main one. As for my History-Book, most certainly your Greek AAR was a big influence and Mishgan would also have to count there with you
11. Do you have any advice for other AAR writers?
I would suggest looking at this thread started by likk9922 as a starters. As for my own advice. I enjoy all the writing I do. The moment i stopped liking it, i would not do it. Of course, sometimes you just wake up in the morning and you don't feel like writing an update. Then don't. Leave it until you feel like you can write an update. Even leave the AAR for a while so you can get your ideas together, as long as you come back you will still have readers. Just remember that AAR writing is from the heart as much as it is from the brain.
12. What are your favorite AARs?
Gosh, naming names. I would say Mishgan's Russian AAR is brilliant, a proper History-Book that rarely veers into Gameplay, a hard thing to achieve. Certainly i would have to name Timelines as one of my favourites as well as Remble's Japanese AAR where he really shows what is achieveable when you put your mind too it. I enjoy whatever i read, otherwise i wouldn't read it.
13. Do you have a favorite experience on the forums?
Oh there is certainly nothing like being an AAR writer and recieving nice, informative and sometimes critical Feedback. Nothing warms my heart on these forums more than that. It is a unique experience.
14. What do you like most about AARs and AAR-writing?
These are not people writing to sell books, not wishing to impress huge audiences. People that write AARs do it because they love it. When love is put into something like that, it is a pleasure to see, all the time. Now i will stop sounding like a hippie and say a big thanks to you!
Once again let us congratulate the newest saint of AARland, robou!
asd
The Glorification Of robou
Hello again! The saint for this month is one who has received much praise recently, robou!
1. Congratulations! Tell us a bit about yourself:
Well I am one of the younger members of the forum, like yourself I am 15. I like baked beans and spend far too much time on the forums.
2. What does your username mean?
Well when I created it, I just thought it was a name no one else would a) have or b) ever think of. Of course it has my first name in it and the 'bo' ties into the first 2 letters of my surname. It was quite accidental that last bit
3. How did you discover Paradox games?
I was at a friends house one day when he introduced me to EU2. I bought it and got bored of it. Then i was at a different friends house and met CK and Victoria which he allowed me to borrow seeing he didn't understand how they worked. I never turned my back on Victoria since...
4. How did you discover the forums?
Accident, like most people. I was looking for an FAQ and ran into the forums and then slowly made my way over into AARland due to links in peoples signatures and then jsut started reading more and more.
5. Do you remember your first experience on the forums?
Oh very well. I wanted someone to create an event for Victoria that would annex Natal into the British Empire. I got told to make it myself...
6. Your writing two great AARs at once, how do you deal with it and find the time for each?
I stagger them. Generally, my update pattern is 3-5 days without an update depending on how many replies i get. When i have updated one, i let that get comments while i update the other. Timewise, i just have too much time at the moment due to the Summer Holidays. When those finish i think i will be back down to one.
7. One could say that your primary AAR is “I’m sorry, but you’re not the only…” It is a great AAR with a cinematic feel to it. How do you manage to write such epic narratives?
It was a unique idea having various armies from various timezones all converging on one place at one time. I just built up from that idea to have this beleguered traveller from the future, the only known man from the future, stuck in the middle of it as a wittness and often a belligerent. As for epicness, it is purely personal preference.
8. What was your favorite part to write about?
Oh most definately Chapter 14 with the shock sacrifice of Colonel Vetnyi which was fun to write. No one had quite expected Vetnyi to end that way and it was fun writing to catch people out. The first chapter was also very fun, but they always are the best planned ones.
9. Are you surprised at all the awards and honors you’ve recently received?
The first came as a little shock. I didn't realise my AARs were garnering enough publicity to gain awards. By the second one it felt slightly better, the third one I thought i was loosing my mind, and the fourth award I couldn't believe what i was seeing. It all was so sudden, in fact I think i now hold a record for winning all four AARland awards in the quickest timeframe (4 weeks). I just consider myself lucky and
I guess the awards kind of tagged along with people noticing my work and liking it. I really don't know.
10. Who has influenced your AAR-writing?
For my narrative, most definately canonized. I couldn't really thank him enough. He not only willed me on to start writing again, but the quality of his work really gave me something to aspire too. There are a few others, such as DerKaiser and Comagoosie, but canonized is the main one. As for my History-Book, most certainly your Greek AAR was a big influence and Mishgan would also have to count there with you
11. Do you have any advice for other AAR writers?
I would suggest looking at this thread started by likk9922 as a starters. As for my own advice. I enjoy all the writing I do. The moment i stopped liking it, i would not do it. Of course, sometimes you just wake up in the morning and you don't feel like writing an update. Then don't. Leave it until you feel like you can write an update. Even leave the AAR for a while so you can get your ideas together, as long as you come back you will still have readers. Just remember that AAR writing is from the heart as much as it is from the brain.
12. What are your favorite AARs?
Gosh, naming names. I would say Mishgan's Russian AAR is brilliant, a proper History-Book that rarely veers into Gameplay, a hard thing to achieve. Certainly i would have to name Timelines as one of my favourites as well as Remble's Japanese AAR where he really shows what is achieveable when you put your mind too it. I enjoy whatever i read, otherwise i wouldn't read it.
13. Do you have a favorite experience on the forums?
Oh there is certainly nothing like being an AAR writer and recieving nice, informative and sometimes critical Feedback. Nothing warms my heart on these forums more than that. It is a unique experience.
14. What do you like most about AARs and AAR-writing?
These are not people writing to sell books, not wishing to impress huge audiences. People that write AARs do it because they love it. When love is put into something like that, it is a pleasure to see, all the time. Now i will stop sounding like a hippie and say a big thanks to you!
Once again let us congratulate the newest saint of AARland, robou!
asd