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Next installment should be up sometime today or tomorrow. I have a long trainride ahead of me today, and I will probably try to write while on the train. I will generally try to keep a pace of one midweek and one weekend update, time and inspiration permitting.

An intriguing update - and you're right, I feel right at home here :) I like the way you've imagined this, actually, from select individuals' points of view. It makes for an interesting narrative.

Thanks. I really like this form, I hope I can keep up a regular pace of updates.

Amazing, awesome update, can`t wait to see more! Can we see a world map as it looks in V2?

Thanks. I had thought about including a map in the next update, but I decided on introducing another set of characters first, so here you go :)

V2_MAP_SCA_1835121_2.jpg


I didn't follow the original, but I think this will be a fun read!

I hope so. Thanks for following
 
Valborgsaften​

April 30th, 1836. Walpurgis Night, the edge between Winter and Summer. On this night, spirits and evil creatures roam the Earth, so people gather on the hills and light a fire to fend them off. This is the way it was before the revolution, before the reformation when the bishop of Rome still ruled the church, and probably even before Ansgar and Poppo brought Christianity here to the North. The world changes, but humans stay the same.
From the hill, the fires in other villages along the river Guden can be seen, and in the far distance, almost at the ocean, lies the city of Randers. Though the trading rights are no longer exclusive to the city, this is where the farmers go to buy the few goods they need and can afford, and where they can sell their cattle on the big market at midsummer. It is from here that goods and passengers for the cities inland are ferried up the river on horse pulled prams. In the rich meadows along the river, the fat cattle and strong horses of Eastern Jutland are pastured. Their manure is spread as fertilizer on the fields- eng er agers moder, as the saying goes. The meadow is the mother of the field. The river is the life of this area.
To the west lies Viborg, the old city at the end of the big cattle road. Along the watershed, where there are no rivers to cross, the old ox road is used to drive cattle south and, as its other name, the army road, suggests, lead armies north. When the French forces came up after the revolution, they used this road. And it was also this road that let the emperor lead his army of the people south, and liberate the duchies.
Those were dark and troubled times. Everyone remembers when they dragged the old count Tyge Hvide from his manor and hanged him from a tree in the park. And for what? What came of all that commotion, after all? Nothing but bloodshed and tears. It is a good thing that the emperor brought order and law to the land again. When you have once experienced unrest, there is no sympathy for the agitators that yell for freedom in the streets of Randers. What good is freedom, if it means that you cannot live your life in peace. No, stability and order, that’s what’s important. Government is better left to others, common folk have no place in gilded halls.

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The young people dance around the maypole, as young people have always done. The boys grab the girls tight around the waist and whirl them around. A fiddle plays and a flute tunes in, and the dancers forget all around them. The young people are full of pent up energy after the long winter, it is almost like watching the cattle when they are put on the meadow in the springtime. Hopefully, these merry young people will not see the violence and war that the old folks lived through in their youth.
Mothers keep a watchful eye on their daughters, remembering other things from their youth than the war. Even if the emperor and God above preserve the boys from war, the mothers will still have to preserve their daughters from the boys.

One who the girls should be kept away from is Jens Madsen. Though he is the youngest son of a poor farmer, he has a bearing like a nobleman, and many girls throw glances his way, even when they dance with others. As the players play a fast reel, increasing the speed every time they start over, Jens whirls around with Ellen, the daughter of his master Frederik Skaaning. As other couples fall out of the dance, Jens and Ellen keep it up, before he throws her into the air, catches her and puts her gently on the ground. Girls and young men alike look with envy at the couple. Ellen, as the only child of Frederik Skaaning, stands to inherit the largest farm in the area. That is to say, her future husband will inherit it. Jens Madsen, with his poor background, has some gall to think he will get her father’s approval. But then, he has served in his house since he was 13, and has always shown himself to be exactly the kind of man that Frederik Skaaning prefers: Hardworking, reliable and modest. He keeps quiet when he has nothing to say, but when he speaks it is with eloquence. The wild streak which, in the opinion of many, has been the ruin of his family, seems to be absent from him. This is a man who, if only he can get his hands on some land, will be able to live a quiet, respectable and prosperous life. And though his brother will inherit their father’s little farm, the way Ellen looks at him, this youngest son might turn out to have drawn a better lot than his older brother.
 
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I've never really seen an AAR written as you're writing this, and it's still really appealing to me. As Dovahkiing said, you've done really well in creating your universe. As ever, I eagerly await the next installment :)
 
Your AAR reminds me of naggy's aborted AAR focus on a POP in Canada; I'm looking forward to seeing more of this one!
 
Ffffff.....Dat Scandanavia,Dat France, Dat Spain, Dat Ottomans...It looks so much bigger in V2. I forget, are the Mamluks Westernized?
 
I like 'zooming-in' on fictional AAR universes, makes them feel more real.

I think it's working well so far, it will be interesting to see how it works in the long run, bearing in mind that I will have to tell the story of the game around these people. There will be two more characters introduced in the next updates, then the story begins.

I've never really seen an AAR written as you're writing this, and it's still really appealing to me. As Dovahkiing said, you've done really well in creating your universe. As ever, I eagerly await the next installment :)

Thank you. As mentioned above, I think it will be a challenge to tell the story of the game through the eyes of these characters. A challenge that I'm looking forward to :)

Your AAR reminds me of naggy's aborted AAR focus on a POP in Canada; I'm looking forward to seeing more of this one!

I don't know that one, I will see if I can find it. Might be interesting to take a look at.

Ffffff.....Dat Scandanavia,Dat France, Dat Spain, Dat Ottomans...It looks so much bigger in V2. I forget, are the Mamluks Westernized?

The Mamluks are not westernized. For several reasons, I have modded the American, African and Asian possessions of the European countries to be colonies, and furthermore added some events and cores that should make at least the American colonies likely to break away during the game.
 
The codfish of Øresund​

Elsinore, decay is thy name. Once a bustling city, full of foreign merchants and sailors who were laid up to pay the Sound due, and took the opportunity to buy meat, grain and fish for the onward journey and to drink in the inns of the city, Elsinore and its sister across the water, Helsingborg, are now like the flats on a stage. The richly decorated merchant’s houses are home to four or five families of smalltime artisans, the servants quarters house local fishermen who go out to fish from the harbor that once gave shelter to mighty ships of trade. The cannons of Kronborg on Sealand and Kernen in Skåne still guard the Sound against foreign fleets, but since the Sound Due was abolished, the garrisons are diminished. Those who still make a living here do so by making and selling tools to the local farmers and building boats for the local fishermen. Those who can’t make a living that way will become sailors, taking advantage of their upbringing by the sea.
Rather than rejoicing at the beauty of the old houses, the inhabitants sigh when they look upon the empty space where once the crest of some nobleman or rich merchant sat. Growing up in this city makes a man melancholy.

And no man was more melancholy than Hans Smed. As his name suggested, he was a smith. Perhaps not the best in town, but good enough to make a living. Though that was becoming harder too.
Hans Smed didn’t give much for the future. If his life had thought him anything, it was that things could only go one way- down. Before the Revolution, the local artisans had been thriving. The guild had ensured that the quality of their work was kept stable by holding anyone who wanted to work in the city to the highest standards of the trade. Because of this, they had also been able to get a fair price for their goods, which were sold on the city market. The crown and the city took a share, sure, but this was also to ensure that those who came to trade could do so in confidence that no one was cheating his fellow man. Yes, some peasants had grumbled about this, but were they really better off now, with anyone able to swing a hammer allowed to call himself a smith, and with travelling salesmen selling holed pots and bend ploughs? If you want quality, you will have to pay. Not that anyone cared nowadays. No, things were surely better before, and if he and his kind had their way (but surely, they wouldn’t), things would just go back to the way they were. That was why he, in the back of his shop, kept the framed crest of the royal house of Gyldenstierne. As many others, he hoped that one day Christopher Gyldenstierne would return from exile, throw out this commoner who called himself emperor (was he any better than Hans Smed, after all? Hardly!), and restore everything to the way it once was.

restorationspartiet_zps604362dc.png

Early in the morning of Valborgs dag, Hans Smed’s apprentice Christopher and his brothers set out from the beach south of the harbor in a small boat to catch fish for their breakfast and enjoy each other’s company on this day off.
Their father, being a staunch supporter of the old monarchy himself, had named his three sons Christian, Christopher and Harald. While Harald, as the youngest, had been kept at home to take over the shoemakers shop, he had been lucky enough to put his two oldest sons on the road to become a smith and a carpenter. Those trades were more prestigious and generally more profitable than his own.

Valborgs dag was the day when Christopher would end his apprenticeship with Hans Smed, and the next day he would be well on his way south, not to return for at least three years. As a journeyman, he would learn from masters all over the Empire, possibly Europe. He was ready to see the world.
“Surely you won’t go to France” Christian said
“Why not? They must know things there too.”
“First of all, you don’t speak French”
“I’ll learn it.”

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“You don’t know what the world is like, brother. It isn’t like here everywhere. Even within the Empire, people speak all kinds of tongues. You can’t trust anyone. And don’t think they will trust you. When I was travelling…”
“… you didn’t make it south of Hamborg.”
“And why should I, when I learned so much there?”
“Yes, indeed, what would they know in other places? You just promised your Johanne not to stray too far.”
Christian turned red. Though he had been married for half a year now, the sound of his wife’s name still made him blush with joy and a strange sense of shyness. He changed the subject back to Christopher’s travel.
“Anyway, even if you DID make it to France, you would never get back home.”
“And why is that?”
“You’re from Elsinore. Anyone from here visiting France will be suspected of visiting Christopher Gyldenstierne. You must understand that.”
“Why would he see me? And why should I care for him, or for the Emperor, or for anyone else? Men like us have no need to care for politics. Do you know, that in France they have engines that run on steam? To learn from the smiths that can build such a wonder.”
“You might go to France, brother.” Harald piped in.
“But I will go further. I want to be a sailor. Do you know, that in Sind you just have to stretch out your hand, and the apples fall right into it? And other fruits too. They have things you never even imagined. The world is big, but I will see it all.”

They reached a place where they knew the codfish swam. As the sound of oars being pulled stopped, the early summer morning was quiet around them. A thin mist lay over the water and in the distance a large ship was gliding through the water, bound for the high seas. Harald looked longingly after it. Christopher looked at the city gate, where the road to Copenhagen and further south started. Christian looked to the town, where he could see a candle in the window under the roof where he lived with Johanne. The brothers were interrupted in their thoughts when a large cod got caught on their line. They pulled it into the boat and rowed back to the shore. As they sat in sand and the fish roasted in their fire, Christopher cleaned the sand from between his toes with a straw.
“One thing is for sure, though.” he said
“All the wine in France, and all the fruits of Sind can’t taste as good as the fish we catch in Øresund.”
 
Looking at that map is certainly interesting - looks like ate a world you've created for yourself. As I said, I haven't read the EU part (yet.) I should probably get around to it.

I can't tell - is there a subtle difference between North and South 'Germany' (I suspect it is called something else) in terms of culture? Or is to just me?

As always, a very enjoyable update. Certainly an interesting way to tie some wider-world events into the tale. I can certainly picture a young man wanting to go out and explore the world and escape Scandinavia.

I look forward to more :)
 
Looking at that map is certainly interesting - looks like ate a world you've created for yourself. As I said, I haven't read the EU part (yet.) I should probably get around to it.

I can't tell - is there a subtle difference between North and South 'Germany' (I suspect it is called something else) in terms of culture? Or is to just me?

As always, a very enjoyable update. Certainly an interesting way to tie some wider-world events into the tale. I can certainly picture a young man wanting to go out and explore the world and escape Scandinavia.

I look forward to more :)

Yes, there is North German and South German culture- all of my provinces are North German. And as you can see, Danes settled northern Norway and southern Sweden.

And yes, I plan to use the two younger characters for showing world events- among other things.
 
With The Emperor


As he walked up the steps to Frederiksborg Castle, the residence of the emperor, the general felt his Ulfeldt blood rush through his veins. This castle, clumsy as it looked with its mixture of styles, ranging from its origin in the 16th century and with subsequent alterations and additions all the way up to the late 18th century, was where his illustrious ancestors had done their lives’ work as ministers and advisors to the kings. As he went through the many antechambers, he felt kinship with those who, before him, had known these rooms so intimately. He himself had only been to the castle a few times, to thank the emperor in audience for the granting of orders and commissions.
Though most chambers had been redecorated in the modest Imperial Style, characterized by dark green and gold, with the dove, the symbol of the emperor, appearing almost everywhere, the general noticed several instances of the Gyldenstierne dynasty’s golden star having been left unnoticed in some corner of a high ceiling or at the back of a fireplace.

Christianviiidenmark_zpsdfa45ffd.jpg

The official portrait of the emperor, copies of which hang in every public office of the realm showed the emperor in full uniform as a general, a man in his best age. The general, having seen it many times, and even having a copy hanging at Krogerup for sake of appearances, was taken aback by its prominent position over the mantle in the emperor’s study. It might have seemed imposing and even awe inspiring hanging any other place in the castle, but when the real man was standing under it, dressed in everyday clothes (“like the commoner he is”, the general thought to himself), it only underscored how much he had aged since he liberated the country from the French invaders and won his crown.

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The emperor had been expecting him.
“General Ulfeld.”
“Your Majesty.”
“Remind me, you fought at Slesvig, didn’t you?”
“Yes, majesty. At Slesvig and at Lüneburg. Your majesty graciously awarded me with the Legion of Honor.”
“Yes. And tell me general, how come a nobleman such as yourself fought against those who tried to reinstall the former regime?”
“Country first, your majesty. That was always the motto of my family.”
“Indeed.”
The emperor looked pensive for a while, then continued.
“Have you heard of these agitators running around the streets, publishing pamphlets demanding free elections and the dismissal of my cabinet?”
“No, your majesty, we don’t have such people in the country side”
“And what a blessing that must be.”
“This city of Copenhagen has always been a cesspool of dissent and revolt against authority, your majesty.”
“Surely you mean against the nobility and the pope, general.”

The general went slightly pale. Had he made a misstep?

“I suppose so, your majesty.”
“Well, general. You may be an Ulfeld, but you are not a feudalist at heart. Tell me, as one officer to another, how would you deal with such agitation as this? Should we reinstate censorship? Should we send in the guard, like the tyrant king Valdemar did at the Joint Rigsdag?”

The general thought for a moment. Was this a test?

“Freedom of the press is the hallmark of a civilized nation, even if it is at times inconvenient, your majesty. And, as the late king Valdemar, and my father with him, learned before their untimely deaths, violence only breeds violence. It is better to take the venom out of their bite by improving the lot of the people. A well fed, well cared for and well educated population is the best insurance against revolts. Only a man who has nothing to lose will take up arms against the government.”
“You speak wisely general. Now tell me, how do you propose to secure this prosperity?”
“Majesty, your empire is great. Perhaps even too great. While the colonies in Sind and Swahili are rich, they are hard to access. We pour endless sums into maintaining these possessions, but the benefits that we reap do not compare. The island of Crete allows a great naval presence in the Mediterranean, but for what use? If instead we were to focus on those resources that we have right here at home and in Vinland…”
“What resources?”
“One thing, which the common people never understood, is that large units produce more efficiently than small. It is well known, that if a farmer has only enough land to feed himself and his family, they may live rather well, but a large estate with many people under it will produce a larger surplus, to the benefit of the nation. Likewise, a shoemaker can maybe produce a few pairs of shoe in a day, but in a modern factory each laborer produces tenfold that. We have coal and iron here, enough to have factories producing goods throughout the empire, if only we would support their founding.”
“General, what if I told you, that less than an hour ago, I fired my cabinet?”
“I would be surprised to hear that, your majesty.”
“I want you to form a new cabinet, general. The cry of the masses have made my old ministers weak. They want to negotiate. I trust you, as my old companion on the battlefield, to have more gut than they do.”
“Yes majesty.”
“And general… IF your plan doesn’t appease the masses, I trust you will have the sense to see their blood spilled before your own.”

The doors closed behind the general, and he walked out in the sun again. Once again, the Ulfeld family was in power. He had a lot of work ahead of him. He would have to send for Thot, Reventlow, Bugge, Oxe, all the members of the ancient nobility who, like himself, had yearned for the day when they once again would assume their natural position at the helm of the state. Their time had come. Perhaps this was the last chance of the nobility.

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I'm not entirely sure I like the emperor - though this is an interesting development nonetheless.

Also, the link isn't coded properly, just to let you know.
 
I'm not entirely sure I like the emperor - though this is an interesting development nonetheless.

Also, the link isn't coded properly, just to let you know.

Thanks, I fixed it now :)
 
Mene Tekel


Valdemar Keiser resigned from the Landsting in June of 1836. With the appointment of a noble cabinet, he foresaw a violent end to the Empire, and wanted no affiliation with its institutions when that end came about.
His resignation, however, also meant that all formal channels of information about the workings of government were closed to him. It was for that reason that he on a bright October afternoon once again welcomed Ulrik Fischer into his office.

“Mr. Fischer, how is the cataloging proceeding?”
“Very well professor, though most of the pieces have no indication of where they were found. It really lessens the value of the collection:”
“Wonderful.”
The professor had hardly listened to the reply, eager to get over the formalities.

“Tell me, do you see the general much?”
“He is Copenhagen most of the time now, so we don’t see him often.”
“I suppose he is. And when he is at Krogeup, does he ever have visitors?”
“Yes, count Thott and baron Reventlow are often there.”
“Calling themselves counts and barons now, are they?”
“Yes professor, but surely, that is harmless. After all, they ARE counts and barons.”
“They are citizens like you and me.”
“I don’t see what difference it makes. If a commoner can be emperor, why can’t a nobleman be count?”
“Because there is no such thing as nobleman and commoner. Surely, as a naturalist, you can see this. Or are you really so feeble minded that you buy into their antiquated feudalism?”
“I am not so feeble minded that I can’t see why you asked me here professor. And I will tell you this. The general and his cabinet are good and honest men who want the best for our country. They will make this country better for all. Look at our production. Sweden is full of iron, and yet we have to import steel. I met a young smith from Elsinore who was going out as a journeyman. He wanted to go to France to learn how to build steam engines. Why is it that we haven’t supported those who could build them here? The general wants to make this country great again. We can’t keep being a nation of farmers.”

production_zps1a100d93.png


“The general wants to keep the people oppressed.”
“The people want prosperity, not elections.”
“And tell me, mr. Fischer, do the people also want to be sent to war to satisfy the emperor’s illusion of being the great emancipator?”
“What war?”
“Surely, mr. Fischer, you can see that this alliance with Bohemia will sooner or later lead us to war with Austria?”

boslashhmen_zps4478e1a6.png


“Yes, and it will be a just war. The French and the Austrians have been globing up their neighbors ever since your revolution put an end to the protection of the oppressed peoples. The general’s government is going to put Bohemia, and all the other small nations under the protection of Scandinavia once again.”

The general looked at the young man in shock. How had this change come about?

“Ulrik, listen to me. What you are saying is the same propaganda that the old regime has spewed out for centuries. It is dangerous nonsense, and it has meant the death of thousands upon thousands of young men like yourself. The people that you are claiming to support have never had anything but suffering at the hands of the nobility.
Besides, calling the cabinet noblemen is treason, as is calling the emperor a commoner. You and your general are balancing a narrow edge here. The emperor will use the general, and you, for nothing other than furthering his own interests, and he will discard you if you become a threat. The general may be a good man, misguided though he is, but the emperor is not. And if the emperor loses this struggle with the people, it will mean the demise of anyone affiliated with his government. People like Valdemar Schlentz and his proselytes are still around. They will show no mercy if they get into power. Tell the general…”

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Ulrik Fischer rose suddenly.
“I am not your errand boy, professor. I appreciate your concern, but it is misguided. The revolution is over. The people want peace and nothing more. And the general is more than capable of dealing with the emperor. He is old and weak now, and his idiot son is no threat. We will be fine. We will change this country. Wait and see.”

Before the professor could answer, his former protégé had left the room, slamming the door behind him. Outside, darkness was creeping in. The sun was setting in the west, and the windows of the city glowed red with it.
 
This continues to be one of my favourite AARs - really well done.

Good to see another update.
 
This continues to be one of my favourite AARs - really well done.

Good to see another update.

Thank you, I am glad you're enjoying it.

All you lurkers, I hope you're enjoying it as well. Comments and constructive critizism is always welcome.

An update should be up sometime this weekend, and I hope to get the story rolling from there, now that all the basic info more or less has been presented.
 
Oh well... I'm sorry for not updating this for so long. Real life came in the way in the form of massively increased work load and then HOD, which made the save game incompatible. So yeah...

The good news is, that I will have a bit more time (maybe, hopefully) in the coming months, so if (IF) the converter comes out in a HOD version, I might just take this up again. In the meantime, I have a few ideas for other projects I might like to do, which you will hopefully be seeing soon on this forum.

Thanks for reading, and see you all back here again, when Lives of the Danes 2.0 comes out
 
Wonderful news – I had feared this long dead. I eagerly await this AAR's continuation.