Introducing Something Called "Freedom": An Interactive Russian AAR

[Machiavellian]

The Oprichniki had been silent of late. In the last decades they had been busy fulfilling their destiny, eliminating the nobility and fighting for the lands of Georgia, actually aiding the army, with who their original rivalry had all but disappeared.

The Church and the Merchants class had been left to fight their own private war and it seemed that the Merchants had won, or at the very least claimed the upper hand. Now, it seemed, that a balance of power was needed. While the Oprichniki had no great love for the church, the secret police were unwilling to allow the Merchants to grow too powerful.

One of the newest heads of the Oprichniki stepped into the council chamber. He was an impossibly tall Russian, with heavy brown eyes that seemed to burn like coals and a thick bristly beard that jutted defiantly from his chin, unconcealed by the black hood he wore. With a dramatic gesture, he held up the bloody, severed head of Stepan Rasin. One of many trophies collected in the most recent purge of the nobility. The traitors in Boyar ranks and the cossacks had only further given the Oprichniki legitimacy and strengthened the need for the organization.

"Troubling times we live in when those who live in the land of the Tsar would seek to deny him his God given rights. When those who wish for autonomy and money would work against the will of the Tsar and mother russia, thinking themselves better. Thinking themselves equal to the Tsar. It is these new idea's that come in on our tradeships and caravans which taint the minds of our people. I say we must restrict the flow of information, we must prevent these vile western idea's from poisoning the minds of the people (shift to narrow minded) and promote only the words of the Tsar and crown. A task the Oprichniki will insure."

"The Oprichniki has agreed with the Tsar, we must abolish the Mestnichestvo. The nobles have proved themselves to be jackals. We must punish them to the full extent. We must not give them reprieve. However, on the concern of Monopoly.. the money we have coming in is enough, let us not waste our time altering a good thing. We must instead focus on our expansion to the east, towards the Ocean called the pacific. Let the missionaries continue as well. In time, perhaps the hopes of taking Armenia and Trabzon will be realized, as they are rightfully to be part of Russia and saved from the evils of the infidel"

The Oprichniki commander then stepped back, leaving the bloody head where it lay. It was a efficient reminder to those within that while the Oprichniki may have been silent the last decade or so, they were not idle.

 

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The Foreign Minister arrived in the royal chamber with a concerned look on his face.

"My Lord, the growth of Polish power in the German lands bodes ill for Russia. Poland's new lands are wealthy and populous and it mortally threatens our interests that these lands remain Polish. I beleive we must make war upon the Poles to check their power and support any revolters in the German lands looking for freedom. Regarding the Turk, I note that the White Sheep tribe has a large number of lands under their control, perhaps we could ally with them to protect ourselves from the Ottoman menace."

 

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Aleksy's wrinkled hands grasped the vodka glass like a talon, his knuckles turning white against blood red fingers. With a slow motion he emptied the glass, the latest of many. The Tsar had been largely overcome by the drink: years of luxury and unearned glory had destroyed whatever character he had ever had.

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Sa'ad prayed to Allah for a quick death. Confined in a prison in Ankara he had come to resemble a human mole, sulking into the darkened corners of his cell, always ducking from the light, to say nothing of the guards and his fellow inmates. At first he had tried to fight against them, but now he alternated between trying to hide and submitting to their lusts. Anything was better than being beaten. He had lost three front teeth and gained a broken arm that had healed improperly from that.

When he had reported his defeat to the Sultan he had expected the cold kiss of a scimitar across the back of his neck. Indeed, he had been ready for that fate. The Sultan had decided to show "mercy" to his faithful servant and general. Now he was living in the closest thing to Hell this earth could possibly produce.

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"We must all keep our heads!" Aleksy laughed, remembering the severed head of the traitorous Boyar. "Keeping these so-called foreign ideas out of our land is a must. The church will reinstate the Nikon reforms that were relaxed. Also we must be on guard for fornicating intellectual dissenters. The last thing we need is that sort of unrest." More vodka vanished as the Tsar regarded the council with satisfaction.

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"You know what time it is, general?" Three grimy prisoners surrounded Sa'ad's huddled form.

"Just make it quick." Even in the darkness Sa'ad could make out the prisoners removing their filthy breeches.

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"The System of Precedence is nothing but more noble treachery and greed! It will be eliminated as soon as practical." Alexsy swayed on rubber legs. Bashing the nobility was always a wise course of action. If he had learned one thing in his time as Tsar, this was it.

"As for our merchants, we will be aggressive, but not foolish. Dominating the trade centers under our control is certainly within out rights as the worlds greatest nation!" Applause from the merchants filled the council room. If the nobles were the defeated faction, the merchants remained formidable.

"Now, I am tired and must rest." The Tsar took his leave. The truth was he was falling apart, but it mattered little. If he had to die, completely inside the vodka bottle was the best place to do it.

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Sa'ad returned to a fetal ball in the corner of the cell. Rats crawled over his body and he did nothing to discourage them. He'd been coughing blood and was weak from having his food stolen. It looked like his prayers for death would finally be answered.

As the light in his staring eyes faded he thought about the wars with Russia. The infidels had broken him just as they had broken his armies. What future could the Sultanate have? With each day the Bear grew stronger, while growing unrest and revolt tore apart the Ottoman lands. Was there any hope for the future? Sa'ad shook his head, rolled toward the cell's wall and died.

 

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Sound and Fury: 1672-1682

Strengthening the power of the church under the guise of enforcing the Nikon Reforms reduced the danger of innovative thought in the church.

Another war with the Turk ended with a tribute of 50 Ducats after a few months. The followers of the False Prophet cannot crack Georgia's mountains, yet still they come.

Sweden declared war shortly after the peace. Another short conflict ended with Russia paying 50 Ducats to the Swedes. The Swedish traitors have numbers and leadership and continue to be a steady annoyance.

Fedor III replaced Aleksy I as Tsar of Russia. The new Tsar is sickly and fantastically average in every way.

Ichim has been successfully converted to the One True Faith. The Altai region is now solidly Orthodox.

The System of Precedence was abolished, followed by a peasant revolt a few weeks later. Russia was plunged into chaos for several years. A plague outbreak certainly did little to help the situation.

Both the Turk and the Swedish Devils again tried to invade our glorious lands. The wars were short, ending with the Turk paying 100 Ducats and a white peace with the Swedish cowards and villains.

A boundary dispute with the Poles was settled, helping our problems with unrest.

Colonization was the main focus between the constant unprovoked attacks on our peace loving nation. We are now very close to reaching the Pacific.

Fedor III seems destined for a short reign. The heir, Peter, is still a child, although already taller than most men. He is something of an enigma. He seems interested in the west to an unhealthy degree, but who can say at this point?

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Issues for 1682

Military Advisor: We have 211,000 soldiers with a supportable limit of 234,000. We are at Land Tech 19, reaching 20 in 1687. Constant war has tested our forces, but we have for the most part been successful. We are close to technological parity, but Sweden may have an edge in leadership at present. The child heir has hinted at the possibility of an army reform when he comes to power.

Naval Advisor: We have 1 warship, 2 galleys and 4 transports with a support limit of 118 ships. Sailing to our New World holdings has proven difficult due to piracy. We have Naval Tech 11, reaching 12 in 1686. The child heir seems to have an interest in our navies.

Metropolitan of Moscow: We are continuing to send missions every five years. The Altai region has been converted, but the remaining Mohammedans may prove more stubborn in their errors. Our new policy of decreasing innovative thought should help us reach the lost. We are the only Orthodox nation of any consequence in the world, so we must carry the burden of the True Faith entirely on our shoulders.

Foreign Minister: We are allied with our vassal Denmark (+20). Our relations with the Danes seem to have stabilized. They do not love us, but they will heed us. The Ottomans are our persistent enemy, but they cannot breach our Georgia frontier. They are not in an alliance, oddly enough. Ak Koyunlu is allied with the Chagatai Khanate. They are backward and have nothing to offer our mighty nation. The Swedes seem obsessed with claiming Ingermanland, but we have been able to hold them off. A great Northern War with them seems to be our mutual destiny. The Poles hate us, but have their own problems trying to hold Germany under their thumb.

The East, 1682

Cossack Advisor: We are very close to reaching our goal of expanding to the Pacific. Perhaps now is the time to colonize beyond the Urals? On the other hand, we could shift to colonizing in the New World. We are receiving 3.00 colonists a year at present.

Financial Advisor: We have a monthly income of 152.1. We have merchants in Moscow (6/27.8), Astrakhan (6/61.3), Andalusia (4/49.1) and Penobscot (6/51.1) We have 34.5% inflation. We are slowly promoting more Cheif Justices. Our main investment are Land Tech and Infrastructure.

General Issues

#1 Domestic Policy

We may make one change, if we wish to do so. The current settings are Aristocracy 0, Centralization 10, Innovativeness 4, Mercantilism 0, Offensive 9, Land 7, Quality 6, Serfdom 7.

#2 Peter the Great's Army and Naval Reforms

There is every reason to believe that the heir of Fedor III is something special, possibly an equal for even our greatest Tsars. We may get the opportunity during his reign to reform our armies and navies. We can concentrate fully on either army or naval reform which would provide great benefits for the branch we focus on. If we reform both the army and the navy the benefits for each will be less but still impressive. A sole army reform would gain us many soldiers and a conscription center, while a sole naval reform will give us many ships and a shipyard. Reforming both will give neither, but more even benefits.

#3 St. Petersburg

We have an opportunity to move our capital to a Baltic Port. This decision would provide some small benefits and greatly increase the population in Ingermanland. Staying in Moscow will slightly reduce the Tsar's central power and strengthen the nobility but will also increase stability greatly.


Next post will be in a few, feel free to post whenever you get the chance.

 

[Machiavellian]

The old, thickly bearded Oprichniki commander flashed a smile that could have come from the great Satan himself. His teeth were stained with bits of meat, though of what flesh he ate was uncertain. After looking over those assembled for some time he spoke, his voice a rasping whisper.

"Let us make a shift away from the Navy. It is a thing we need not concern ourselves with. We are a great nation of many lands. Vast and sprawling, rivals to the feared Genghis Khan himself. If the Heir of Fedor wishes to reform something, let it be the army so when next the Swedes, Infidels, or power hungry poles come knocking at our door, we will be able to crush them fully and without mercy!"

That exclaimation caused the Oprichniki commander to clutch at his chest and continue wheezing. His face, though hidden by his cowl began to turn bright red and he fell to one knee. A fell moments later he was upon the ground, taking his last laboured gasps of life.

Without much concern for his former commander, another of the black hooded dogs that were the Oprichniki stepped forward, resuming in the manner the old bearded man had just minutes past.

"There is no reason for our Czars to remain in Moscow. True, it has a tradition of the old Grand dutchy, but it is the tradition of traitorous nobles, scheming merchants and misguided priests. No, let us instead build a glorious new Capital worthy of the awakened Bear that is Russia. Worthy of our Tsars and of course, their loyal servants.."

All the Oprichniki smiled at that, before turning to depart, leaving their fallen member on the floor of the council chamber for Fedor III servants to clean up. They had more important things to do, like protect the heir that would likely make Russia even greater than she already was.

One of them however paused at the doorway and glanced at the Cossack advisor. "as for colonization, we leave that up to the cossack advisor, but expansion to the pacific and in the urals seems a worthy goal."


[ for settings, my vote is to move it one towards land ]

 

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The Foreign Minister entered the Tsar's chambers after thinking long and hard about the advice he was to give.

"It is good our relations with Denmark have stabilized. I hear Poland is having trouble with her German possessions, have any of the German peoples managed to win their freedom from the Poles? Sweden I believe our great nations mortal enemy. Only one great power can stalk the shores of the Baltic and it will be either us or them. Next time the villanious Swedes attack our lands, I say we give them a sound thrashing and begin claiming the lands of the Finns for oursleves. I believe army reforms should be given precedence over naval reforms and by all means we must build the new capital to show to all the nations that Russia will dominate the Baltic!"

 

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New Merchant stepped forward and bowed before him

#1 Domestic Policy

My lord, may we give more freedom to our people since they are most loyal to you and we will be rewarded by getting more wealth by trade and taxes. After all, we are a merchant country but all power belong to you my most powerful lord... And must expand our power in these new worlds and then...

Peter the Great's Army and Naval Reforms

We should concentrate fully on NAVAL reform which would provide great benefits for us. We need manyy ships and a shipyard to protect our ships and easily to transport these troops into our enemies's backyard. And we MUST reform our navy since we must keep up with these foul enemies and who know, when these fleet of their arrived at our coastlines, who can defend them. Not the army but OUR NAVY!!!!

#3 St. Petersburg

We are planning to establish a city but with your persmission we cannot do anything, this will increase the trade and other major benefits to the Empire.

He looked at Oprichniki with great dislike as it seemed that they trying to threaten his powers of the fleets and trade.

 

[Elias Tarfarius]

Mikhail Jacokivich, in his long years as Metropolitan and Patriarch, had enjoyed himself and even made peace with the merchants to better guard against the power of the secret police and the new army Tsar Peter dreamed of making. Yet, now the talk of a new city on the Baltic disturbed him and made him realized that the Church might not have as many allies as he thought... perhaps it all was slipping away as his murderous uncle, Yuri, had feared.

My Tsar, let us continue with the mission of convertion as it is. One by one, the True Faith shall prevail in all the provinces of your magnificent empire, from sea to shining sea. Now, what is this talk of a new city! *laughs* Moscowy is no den of devils, it is the very soul of RUS! Will the new city have a cathedral as great as Saint Michael's... no, it cannot. The Tsar can command his navy from Moscow just as well as from the Baltic shore. Plus, I have seen the land they want to build the city on, SWAMP as far as the eye can see, most gracious Tsar! Unfit for God's cheif servant on earth, I swear it. I think we can afford no more unrest among the people, so we should retain Mestnichestvo. As to our military, let us strenghten the fleet so that the Swedes may know we reign supreme in the Baltic. Also, we need to form an alliance in Europe so that we can decisively defeat Poland and Sweden! It must be done, by God, and there shall be no better Tsar to do it than you, magnanimous Pytor.

 

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Merchant knew at least short truce when Merchant and Church will try to stop rising powers of the Army. At the moment of Merchant got the upper hands by killing few priests. He died very suddenly and after tiny civil war, a better merchant rose and make peace with Church for little while until that Army....

SWAMP!!!!!!!!

But the site is excellent once we fill the swamp, after all, we are paying for it out of our own pocket. It Will have greater church than what is in this city of of...

We only need alliance with other nations if we are REALLY truely for their papist help. We are the one of the greatest power in the world. What better but to have a city that will be seen by everyone which will termble at the sight and will outshine the other small tiny cities...

 

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"Join the army, see foreign lands!" Major Boris Kafelnikov laughed heartily as a smile spread across his broad face. "Of course, they never said it would be different foreign lands!"

Vladimir Pschov, Kafelnikov's aide, allowed his normally stern face the slighest of grins, but never took his eyes off the Swedish border. Aside from their devotion to the Russian army the two men were almost polar opposites. Pschov was the son of displaced nobility and a child of priviledge determined to prove his worth, while Kafelnikov had solidly middle class roots and excesses. Now, however, they stood together, observing Swedish territory from a redoubt held by the Kola Regiment.

"This cold weather is giving me quite a thirst." Boris produced a flask from his heavy jacket. The truth was that just about any weather could give the heavily built Major a thirst. The Commander of the Kola Regiment drained the flask with heroic effort and again smiled at Pschov.

"Nothing ever dampens your spirits." Vladimir shook his head and held up a thin hand to refuse a second flask the Major had extended toward him.

The Kola Regiment had a proud tradition of holding the frigid north from the aggression of the Swede. The soldiers were defensive experts, a rarity in the Russian army, and had bled their Scandanavian enemies white in past wars. Of all the Russian regiments they were the only one that had never tasted defeat. None of this made the winter duty any less unpleasant for the common soldier, of course, but a certain solidarity and pride was nearly as good for warmth as a flask of grain alcohol.

Boris finished the second flask, his face now flushing a deep red. He was about to suggest to Vladimir that they take their leave for the day when an aide came rushing toward them with an official document clutched in a gloved hand.

The aides breath came in smoky gusts in the cold air as he handed over the message. Boris looked it over for perhaps half a minute and then folded it up with numb fingers. "Bring me two more flasks." The aide nodded, still panting heavily from his earlier run.

Boris turned to Vladimir. "Prepare the soldiers to march. We're invading Sweden."

Silence hung in the chill air for an eternity. "Better bring me a flask, too." It was Vladimir who spoke to the aide.

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The Cossack Rider seemed badly out of place in the council chamber, but he was technically the man of rank, having been authorized by the young Tsar to speak on his behalf. Peter was in Arkangelsk supervising the Russian Fleets and he had already made plans to travel as a common man in Western Europe after he was finished there.

The decisions of the Tsar are as follows..." The Rider read the proclamation with some difficulty, which did little to help his popularity in the room. The new Tsar's tendencies to admire the foreign and oppose the traditional had already made him several enemies among the council, and now he was gone on other matters, leaving a barely educated and unwashed commoner to speak to them.

"The serfs will be given more rights to help us be like England and all of them." The Rider smiled, displaying bad teeth. If he put the commands in his own words, this wasn't so difficult.

"The army needs reformation immediately, in preparation to settle those Swedish devils. We'll hit them a good one!" Nervous conversations instead of cheers dominated the room. This Peter was proving aggressive, if nothing else.

"The new city on the Baltic will really show those western devils who we are!" The reaction to this was more positive, although the Metropolitan glowered. If the Tsar would overturn this tradition, what was safe?

"I've got to ride back now." The Rider nervously made his way past the hooded Oprichniki at the council room door, hoping he would not have an "accident" on the way back to the north.

 

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A Thousand Insults Avenged: 1682-1692

The freedom of the peasantry was further increased as a program of modernization and enlightenment begins in Russia.

The army was fully reformed, resulting in a large increase in our ability to wage war. Soon that ability would prove decisive.

The capital of Russia is now St. Petersburg on the Baltic. Looking out at the west, the beatiful new city is the perfect symbol for the changes we are undergoing.

The long awaited war of revenge against Sweden was fought with our newly reformed forces. The Swedes were mired in internal disorder and were ill prepared for the Russian Bear. Nevertheless, the war lasted three bitter years and was fought in both Finland and the New World. The Swedes and their Dutch lap dogs attacked some of our trading posts, but we were able to protect our hold of Penobscot.

Finally, the tide in Scandanavia turned in our favor. With our forces moving on Stockholm the cowardly Swedes begged for mercy. Savolaks, Ostebrotten and Estland were ceded. Decades of Swedish arrogance and aggression have finally been answered.

Internal matters soon moved to the fore. A university was chartered and the demands of the clergy were accepted for the time being. Missions to the conquered portions of Finland were authorized and Savolaks has already been converted to the True Faith while the preaching against the Calvinist heresies continues elsewhere.

A political crisis failed to make a significant dent in the emerging New Order, although some increased payments to the Oprichniki to deal with the disorder have been authorized.

In 1692 Russia is beginning to reach her full potential. With Sweden humbled, who can stand against us? The answer, oddly enough, might turn out to be Sweden. Our destiny seems to lie in the west.

Peter I

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Issues for 1692

Military Advisor: We have 191,000 soldiers with a support limit of 263,000. We are currently rebuilding our armies. We are Land Tech 20, reaching 21 in 1694. Sweden has Land Tech 23 and Poland has 19.

Naval Advisor: We have 1 warship, 6 gallleys and 4 transports. Our force of galleys, built up by Peter for the Northern War, was able to defeat the Swedish navy in the Baltic on several occassions. We are Naval Tech 12, reaching 13 in 1728. Tsar Peter wishes to build up our navy, despite favoring the army during his reforms.

Metropolitan of Moscow: The success in Sweden has given us two areas of Calvinist heresy. We are currently working to convert them to the True Faith as we did with the Papists in Savolats. We have a significant Mohammedan population. With Peter's skill in administration now is an excellent time to save souls, although the Tsar has expressed hostility to the Church's traditions and indeed all things traditionally Russian.

Foreign Minister: Our victory over Sweden has sent a message to the west that we are a force to be reckoned with. This conquest has given us all our rightful claims in the west. Only the pitiful remnants of the Khanates remain to conquer and they aren't even worth the trouble. We are allied with Denmark (+27) who is our vassal. The Poles have been able to control their Germany holdings with some difficultly, but it would certainly be wise to keep an eye on the situation. The Turk has been quiet, perhaps troubled by the liberation movements in North Africa. The current Tsar has a talent for diplomacy, but we have a rather bad reputation (29.3).

Russia, 1692

Cossack Advisor: We had to rebuild trading posts lost in our war with Sweden, so there was little colonization in the east. This should change soon. We are gaining 2.6 colonists a year. We hope to begin settling beyond the Urals soon.

Financial Advisor: We have a monthly income of 157.1 with inflation at 36.6%. We have merchants in Moscow (6/29.0), Astrakhan (6/64.8), Andalusia (4/55.6) and Penobscot (6/19.5). Our main investments are Land Tech and Infrastructure.


General Issues

#1 Domestic Policies

We may make one change, if we feel it is needed. Current settings are Aristocracy 0, Centralization 10, Innovativeness 4, Mercantilism 0, Offensive 10, Quality 9 and Serfdom 6.

#2 Great Northern War

Hostilies against Sweden could be initiated again in the near future. If we form a grand alliance we can add Poland to our alliance with Denmark, but it would be very expensive to do so and would hurt our stability. If we decide others should bleed first we won't gain Poland as an ally but will gain improved relations with Denmark and Poland. Either way be gain just cause for war with Sweden and must decide what to do with that.

#3 Peter the Great

A role-playing concern. The Tsar has been heavily influenced by travels in the west and is an enemy of all traditional elements of Russian society, favoring modernization and imitation of western customs. How do you react to such a ruler?

New post in a few, feel free to post whenever you get the chance.

 

[Machiavellian]

The Oprichniki flashed villainous grins. How far they had come since the days of Ivan the Terrible and Great. The nobility was all but destroyed, a shadow to never again return to the Russian people, yet still they, the black hooded Oprichniki, the dogs of the Czar, existed. Becoming more of a secret police, over the last few generations, more and more power had circulated into their corridors. The army was infiltrated on the highest levels by the Oprichniki during the Ottoman wars and the Cossack rebellions.. and the two factions were nearly one, save for occassional disagreements. In addition the foriegn minister and the Cossacks who did not rebel were treated well by the Hooded devils, provided with many benefits in order to retain their support.

In essence, the Oprichniki had replaced the boyars of old. If this new Czar wished to imitate the west, so be it. Modernization could only make Russia stronger and anger the ever weakening power of the church, not only that, but it would seem that the greed obsessed merchants would eagerly adopt the traditions of the west, putting them at odds with the church. Yes, another war between those two factions would serve well.

The Oprichniki waited in silence, looming over those in the council chamber like great specters, their callous gazes seeming to bore into each mans soul, seeking to steal it as they stole the lives of so many nobles over the years. They would wait to hear the words of the other council members, for they pondered supporting one side if a squabble did occur. However, should none conform to the traditions of increasing the army and shattering the Swedes, they would strike out on their own and many would pay.

 

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Merchant looked at the Oprichniki with even more dislike... Indeed, his lord decided to reform the army INSTEAD of his navy. THIS is OUTRAGE.

Merchant's nose flared at the thought.

But, at last, his control of the sea are almost total since the coastline expanded more and more until one day they will take control of the Batic and Black Sea totally.

However, the ideas of the moderation are better and that made him very glad. The church are getting weaker and weaker while he getting powerful and worthy... only one problem... Oprichniki. He is however sad about the burning of many trading posts since many of them are his personal friends...

He stepped forwad and bowed:

"My lord, let increase Innovativeness of our Imperial Russia. And we will need to gain an alliance with Poland, they are a little worthly and we beaten Sweden so soundly last time that we don't need any other helps but Poland are little big and their help will be useful. We are overwhelmed with joys as you made Russia better, by taking our Empire out of middle ages into glories of Enlightment... We will backed you to the fullest, not like some silly Church tradiation who thought that any more improvement will make our God hate us. HA, if we win again and again then surely it is God's sign that it is good and better."

All merchants in the court clapped greatly and even Merchant-controlled priests cheered giving him which looked that that Church support the Merchant.

OOC: I looked at the events and found out that choosing ahistorical choice with also cause Stability loss

 

[Machiavellian]

"alliance with the backstabbing poles? BAHHh."

One of the Oprichniki hissed. Another soon joined in.

"We should be more concerned with fostering an improvement with our vassal Denmark. If we seek out any ally in the west, let it be france or England. The latter of course could be very useful. We could utilize their navy for our own advantage and they could easily be persuaded to strike the swedes, but of course.. we defer to the wisdom of the foriegn advisor."

 

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The Foreign Minister was a touch apprehensive when entering the chambers of Tsar Peter, he wasn't sure if the new Tsar would be good for Russia or if his infatuation with the decadent West had ruined him. Either way, there was a job to do:

"In the Great Northern War soon to descend upon us, I suggest we use every weapon at our disposal, even a purely temporary alliance with the despicable Poles if need to be to crush the Swedish menance once and for all, we did well in our last war, but we must settle with nothing less than the entirety of Finland, the rest of the Swedish Kingdom should be destroyed and made over to our Danish vassals, as it was in the past. Our military force should be concentrated in the West as no nation in the East is powerful enough to oppose Mother Russia."

 

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The return of Tsar Peter from the west had proven to be a mixed blessing. There was a certain security in knowing that the most powerful man in Russia was no longer pretending to be a commoner in some western brothel a thousand miles away. On the other hand, he had brought back the liberal ideals of the west and seemed quite zealous in inflicting them on Russia.

"The beard tax is to be enforced immediately." An Oprichniki produced a straight razor and a bowl of lather and presented them to the stunned council. "Those who are not in accord with the law may correct the situation immediately." The Tsar's face twitched in a hideous fashion as he eyed the council. Some of them were indeed willing to shave then and there, others were not.

The hooded enforcers of the Tsar moved about the room, collecting fines from those who retained their beards, while opportunistic merchants formed a line to shave. Only when this bizarre and humiliating spectacle ended did the Tsar's attention return to the formal business.

"To insure our modernization I've authorized the construction of a new university in our capital. We will make efforts to recruit western scholars and encourage innovative thought." The Metropolitan of Moscow glowered at the Tsar from beneath a beard he had just payed coin to keep.

"The Poles are backwards even compared to our own crippling yoke of tradition. We won't need their help if Sweden wants another round. I've been assured that my military reforms have given us the strongest army in the world. We'll take what's ours by right in Finland, when the time comes." The Tsar rose, the top of his head nearly scrapping the room's ceiling.

"Ideas are weapons, now. Once we cast down these accursed Russian traditions and embrace the enlightenment we will be unstoppable. Combining modern thought with our undeniable resources...the future is ours for the taking. All for Mother Russia!"

The council slowly left the room. A dozen whispered conversations competed with the footfalls on the expensive carpets. The divisions had never been more clear and now could be determined simply by facial hair. The razor and bowl remained on the council table after everyone had left.

 

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Payments Due: 1692-1702

A series of reforms were inacted to increase innovative thought and the free exchange of Western ideas.

Both France and the Ottoman Turk declared war on our peace loving people in 1692. The Turkish rivalry was to be expected, but the French aggression was baffling. Their tactics were even more difficult to fathom: a series of small French landings in Finland were soundly defeated.

Elsewhere, full attention was turned toward punishing the Followers of the False Prophet. When France paid 150 Ducats for peace the full focus moved south. The Mohammedans suffered a series of defeats, but the Tsar decided to be genorous in peace, only claiming the Orthodox province of Trabzon and 250 Ducats in tribute. A short era of peace began.

The religious missions did much to reduce heresy in our lands. Osterbotten, Estland and Azow are now in the fold of the True Faith.

The Polish cowards and their lickspittle allies in Portugal and Malta (!) were the next challenge for Mother Russia, attacking us without provocation. Our armies had been reduced by previous war in Asia minor, but were still a match for the backward and top heavy Kingdom of the Poles. After two years of war the Polish dastards ceded the Catholic province of Polotsk and paid 279 Ducats to the Third Rome. Attempts to convert Polotsk have been unsuccessful so far but will continue.

Sweden, by default, was the final enemy in this decade. This war has been an odd one, with the cowardly incompetent Karl XII ransacking the capital of the Danes while we have fought bitter sieges in Finland with our depleted forces. Our vassal is in deep water, but we stand to possibly drive the Swedish devils out of our rightful holdings in Finland.

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Issues for 1702

Military Advisor: We have 168,000 soldiers with a support limit of 265,000. We are Land Tech 22, reaching 23 in 1712. Sweden has Land Tech 23, The Ottomans 22 and Poland 19. We are currently at war with the Swedes and have faced near constant aggression in the last decade.

Naval Advisor: With the acquisition of Trabzon we are turning the Black Sea into a Russian lake. We have 1 warship, 5 galleys and 4 transports, with a support limit of 144. We have Naval Tech 12, reaching 13 in 1728. Sweden has Naval Tech 18, Poland 13 and the Turk 16.

Metropolitan of Moscow: We have brought many lost sheep to the True Faith over the last decade and only foreign aggression limits our holy works. We have one Papist province, a significant but shrinking (Praise the Lord for that!) Mohammedan minority and a small number of eastern heresies. Our move toward innovative thought has yet to cause significant problems with gaining authorization for missions. Our current priority is the conversion of the Papists and then reducing Mohammedan errors.

Foreign Minister: We are allied with our vassal Denmark (+171) and are currently at war with Sweden. We have a hard choice to make. If we make a separate peace in perhaps another year of sieges in Finland we could gain land, but would leave our ally at the mercy of the Swedish traitors (The Swedes already control two Danish provinces, including their capital). We have reports the Karl XII is a military genius, but he is currently occupying Copenhagen. We have had frequent wars with our neighbors, but have come out more powerful than ever. Peter is a skilled diplomat, perhaps we could sway a German minor or two to our cause if we can gain a long enough peace for such negotiations. Our reputation is at 29.8/51

Russia in 1702

Financial Advisor: We have a monthly income of 154.7 with inflation at 42.2%. We will gain the ability to promote governors in 1717. We have merchants in Moscow (6/29.3), Astrakhan (6/49.8), Penobscot (6/27.6) and Andalusia (3/25.5). Our main investments are Infrastructure and Land Tech.

Cossack Advisor: We have continued to expand east with two new colonies but war has limited our colonization. We are gaining 2.2 colonist a year at the present. Much of our efforts were focused on keeping our trading posts in the New World after incursions by the Dutch and Portugal.

General Issues

#1 Domestic Policies

We can make one change, if we wish to do so. Current settings are Aristocracy 0, Centralization 10, Innovativeness 5, Mercantilism 0, Offensive 10, Land 9, Quality 9, Serfdom 6.

#2 The Swedish War

We have a chance to grab land in Finland, but probably only at the expense of Denmark in a separate peace. Our relations with our vassal are now excellent and they are certainly a candidate for annexation at some future point. On the other hand, we can hurt Sweden immediately if we can claim land in Finlad, putting us in a stronger position for the next war with them that will no doubt come.

#3 Government Reforms and Absolutism

We have a chance to reform our government and enforce absolutism. The problem with absolutism is we are already there for the most part (full centralization, plutocracy). We would also lose innovativeness and stability from this decision. Reform will be expensive (1000 Ducats) but will offer many benefits, including 3 manufacturies and greater tax income. We could also do both.

#4 Do you still have a Beard?

A roleplaying concern: how are you reacting to the western liberalism of Tsar Peter?

Next post will be in a few, feel free to post any time.

 

[Elias Tarfarius]

I certainly hope you do not except me to shave!

Oh, all this reform is making my head hurt but it is for the great good I suspose. As to the war, how much of Denmark can Karl annex, hmm? Let us take what we can, make peace, and then loan money to the Danes so that they can continue the fight.

 

[Machiavellian]

The Oprichniki did not like having to shave. Many of them prided themselves on their beards, however, they also did not wish to stand against the Czar at the time. Instead, they found a way around the beard tax. The Oprichniki began to sport mustaches, some grand and some simple, while leaving their chins devoid of hair.

At the council, they made their stance known.

"Trabzon was a great victory for Russia and should we have the chance, we should free Armenia from their enslavement to infidels."

Another spoke up soon after. "Absolutism is unnecessary and wasteful. Let us keep ourselves where we are. However, reforms will go a long way to aiding the power of Russia. Let us build these manufactories."

Finally, the current commander of the Oprichniki stepped forward, his form drapped in black and his face hooded, though the ends of his dropping mustache could just barely be seen emerging from the veil of shadows his cowl created.

"We cannot abandon our ally the Danes. How long have they served the Tsar as a vassal? They have stood with the Russians long, let us not abandon them for a few portions of cold land. Who needs the Finns, when we have the loyalty of the Danes. Our armies are strong. This struggle can be won without needing to abandon our allies!"