Lords of Amber - Aestuian Empire AAR

[Knave]

An obscure people at the edge of the known world, the Aestians are divided into warring tribes on the Baltic Sea. What could they achieve if they were unified? What if they plied the seas as the Carthaginians or the Greeks of the era did? This AAR aims to explore that question. Our goals for this playthrough will be:

1. Unify the Aestian tribes into a unified Aestuia;
2. Unify all Aestian pops under our rule (losing a few to slavery is okay);
3. Occupy all territories in Northern Europe that produce amber and exploit its export to fund our expansion;
4. Establish colonies throughout Northern Europe to allow for an ocean-going empire with sea-spanning naval range;
5. Establish a civilized nation;
6. "Reverse colonize" the Mediterranean to spread our trade to rich markets.

Amber is a high value trade resource and we aim to dominate that trade by occupying those territories and building cities or importing slaves. How will afford the cities and get the slaves? Pillaging the Greeks with migratory hordes. We will use our migratory pops to make ports throughout Northern Europe and eventually work our way to the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, allowing us to exploit trade and conquest opportunities throughout Europe as we grow to be a civilized power. We are aiming less to blob and more to colonize strategic provinces and locations to extend our naval reach -- Vikings before the Viking age!

 

[HistoryDude]

A Baltic AAR? In Imperator?

That's an original idea. Subbed.

 

[Nikolai]

Very interesting! Good luck!

 

[TheInsanePumkinCarver]

Sounds interesting! Looking forward to it.

 

[Knave]

Galindia, 453 - 455

We begin in the reign of chief Minoras Alginoreitis, a cunning but impious leader of the Aestians of the Galindia tribe. Their sparse lands along the Baltic coast are rich in amber. The Galindians use this prized gemstone to make crafts and adornments for themselves. But Minoras dreams of more. He has journeyed to distant lands and knows they covet this gemstone as well. He also knows the Goths, Scandians, and other Germanic tribes to the west possess it as well. What riches a chief would have if he were to control all of these places and profit from the trade! Minoras hatches a plan to unite the neighboring Aestians under his rule to become chief of all the Aestians as a first step to bring even greater wealth to his people.

The war council decrees that Saloia must be invaded. Minoras, generally contemptuous of the gods and the unity of the Matrist worshippers, dispatches emissaries to the Lugians and Bastarnians to form an unholy alliance with the Tuestic, Germanic peoples. He gathers the levies of all the clan chiefs and raises many tribesman from their homes to invade the lands of the neighboring Saloians, leaving his lands even more sparsely populated than before. Saloia, being more pious, is warned of the invasion through signs, auguries, and sacrifices. They call in their brethren Aestians the Venedians and the Sudinoians to resist the coming invasion. Minoras's armies besiege the Saloians and Venedians in their fortresses and his Tuistic allies confront their forces in the field. Despite losing some battles, Minoras's tactics prove successful as he takes control of the Venedian and Saloian homelands and combines all forces to defeat the remaining Sudinoian armies and conquer their lands. Within a little more than a year he forces the other Aestian chiefs to submit, executing most of them, and takes control of all the Aestian tribes of note. He spreads his people farther north, claiming more lands and integrating more scattered Aestians under his banner. By 455, he proclaims a unified Aestuia and holds a triumph in the capital of Venedia. Tribesman flock to the newly embellished capital, which grows to city size. The increased production of amber in Venedia allows for trade of amber to other peoples for the first time as Minoras's plan begins to take shape. He dedicates a larger shrine to the god Perkunas in Venedia and makes sacrifices to soothe his war weary people and entice the young men to pledge themselves as warriors--even the impious must make at least token gestures to piety.

 

[HistoryDude]

Minoras is ambitious...

 

[Nikolai]

Off to a good start!

 

[Capage]

That's a swift start!

My first (and recent) game in Imperator was as Saloia. I built a decent northern empire of Aestuia, but despite developing Venedia into metropolis, I was no match for the unlimited manpower of Rome (I tried to attack them in the last decade to end to game with prettier borders and to actually fight Romans).

So, this is an automatic subscription for me.

 

[Cora Giantkiller]

This is an awesome idea for an AAR. Subbed.