So you're saying that something will start that decline...
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Settling the Steppe - An Anti-Horselord Gothic AAR
- Thread starter alscon
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For every Up, there must be a Down! We are beginning to see end gamers among Sergia's youngest siblings. Thank you for the update.
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The true test of his legacy is that it should survive him (until the mid-15th century, anyway) even if he can’t be personally replaced. We shall see if that is the case, but it’s looking that way.
A major additional achievement for the nation and dynasty.
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I'm fairly certain that Innokentios is one of the guys joining due to good old Karl the Hammer's reputation. These guys typically have martial scores above 25, and when they are landed and pick martial focus, they have even higher scores. But as I mentioned before, thanks to collecting saintly bloodlines, the Gothic Imperial line had an inherent bonus of 70% (before martial modifiers) against heathens - leading a cataphract stack, enemies simply melt away most of the time.
The poor girl. A peak doesn't necessarily have to be followed by a sharp fall, but one thing is certain - if Gothia ever reaches that height again, it will take a while.
Perhaps. Though I'm sure that, looking at the current date, you know what to expect in that regard
.Those creepy people just willed into existence by Theudis VIII himself... I'm not sure they can even die of natural causes, to be honest
.It's quite monolithic by now, at least in the steppe lands, so a disintegration is not really on the cards - but his greater empire is clearly not restorable.
Taizu was the perfect woman for the job. With control of the Silk Road, things are really looking good for the Goths in the near future.
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Valeria I
Valeria the Saintly
(*23rd February, 1392 - † 7th March, 1444)
(reigned 34 years)
(*23rd February, 1392 - † 7th March, 1444)
(reigned 34 years)
Valeria survived the slow fever which was responsible for her half-sister's death, and suddenly found herself being empress of Gothia.
The young woman was clearly Theudis VIII's daughter – as she was universally acknowledged as the next monarch – but nothing is known about her mother. This time, it was likely not an overzealous chronicler's purge of the historical records. There is no sign left of her.
Was it due to the War Saint's marriage? One-Eyed Euphrosyne is the only known lover of the emperor, and even if his marital life was anything but harmonic, his pious nature would not have driven him into the arms of other women.
As Valeria grew up to become an embodiment of virtue, some claim that the Thathicos' saintly bloodline was blessed by divine gifts, leading to the legendary emperor not even needing a woman to carry his offspring.
Nonsense, of course. It is likely that the campaigning emperor took a liking to some of his lesser-known officers, and that he didn't want to replicate Euphrosyne's case. When he presented his children at court, nobody asked questions.
The new empress was deeply saddened by her half-sister's death. She vowed to live a rightful life, the one Sergia could never experience.
Unlike many of her predecessors, especially her two direct adult ones, this drove her to matters of learning. Valeria was the generous patron of the great Itil university, and spent much time in her scientific pursuits. If the people could understand what caused disease, then they would be able to avoid it, so her thinking.
She was married to Alexios, prince of Egypt, a hard, cruel man. When King Ioannikos died in 1410, the crusader kingdom was in turmoil. His heir, who was named Achila, proved to be just as incompetent as his namesake eradicated from the empire's records.
Egypt had gone up in flames, with pretenders carrying Princess Anastasia's banner. The revolt began with little more than a dozen people, but had grown to pose a dangerous threat to the misguided king's rule, earning Anastasia the name of the Bold.
Alexios saw the opportunity, and he had more than just a dozen men – he had Gothia's might backing his ambition. And even if the Gothic army was no longer the Theudisian one, it was by far enough to deal with a kingdom split by civil war.
Alexios claimed the throne, landed in 1412, and restored order by 1414. Anyone opposing his rule was brutally suppressed, any revolts nipped in the bud – he was soon only known as the Accursed, leading a rule of terror that could hardly be any more different than Gothia.
The king's rule was so oppressive and brutal that after his death in 1425, Egypt entered a state of nearly twenty years of civil war that ended only with the coronation of a non-Thathicos – Queen Alexia stood for the exact opposite of Alexios, not just in her name.
The young woman was clearly Theudis VIII's daughter – as she was universally acknowledged as the next monarch – but nothing is known about her mother. This time, it was likely not an overzealous chronicler's purge of the historical records. There is no sign left of her.
Was it due to the War Saint's marriage? One-Eyed Euphrosyne is the only known lover of the emperor, and even if his marital life was anything but harmonic, his pious nature would not have driven him into the arms of other women.
As Valeria grew up to become an embodiment of virtue, some claim that the Thathicos' saintly bloodline was blessed by divine gifts, leading to the legendary emperor not even needing a woman to carry his offspring.
Nonsense, of course. It is likely that the campaigning emperor took a liking to some of his lesser-known officers, and that he didn't want to replicate Euphrosyne's case. When he presented his children at court, nobody asked questions.
The new empress was deeply saddened by her half-sister's death. She vowed to live a rightful life, the one Sergia could never experience.
Unlike many of her predecessors, especially her two direct adult ones, this drove her to matters of learning. Valeria was the generous patron of the great Itil university, and spent much time in her scientific pursuits. If the people could understand what caused disease, then they would be able to avoid it, so her thinking.
She was married to Alexios, prince of Egypt, a hard, cruel man. When King Ioannikos died in 1410, the crusader kingdom was in turmoil. His heir, who was named Achila, proved to be just as incompetent as his namesake eradicated from the empire's records.
Egypt had gone up in flames, with pretenders carrying Princess Anastasia's banner. The revolt began with little more than a dozen people, but had grown to pose a dangerous threat to the misguided king's rule, earning Anastasia the name of the Bold.
Alexios saw the opportunity, and he had more than just a dozen men – he had Gothia's might backing his ambition. And even if the Gothic army was no longer the Theudisian one, it was by far enough to deal with a kingdom split by civil war.
Alexios claimed the throne, landed in 1412, and restored order by 1414. Anyone opposing his rule was brutally suppressed, any revolts nipped in the bud – he was soon only known as the Accursed, leading a rule of terror that could hardly be any more different than Gothia.
The king's rule was so oppressive and brutal that after his death in 1425, Egypt entered a state of nearly twenty years of civil war that ended only with the coronation of a non-Thathicos – Queen Alexia stood for the exact opposite of Alexios, not just in her name.
The Thathicos Papacy
Upon her husband's coronation in Cairo, Valeria didn't return to Cherson immediately, but went to Rome, just in time for the first Thathicos to be elected as Pope.
With the death of Caelestinus III in 1414, the second son of Theudis VIII's twin sister Riccilo became Marinus IV. But Valeria's cousin was too drunk to invite the empress, who visited the Eternal City as a simple pilgrim.
Marinus IV is a historical footnote, especially compared to his successor Silvester II. The conclave apparently desired a malleable pope, someone who wouldn't take sides between the western – Francian – and eastern – Gothic – influence, even if they knew they had to pick someone from these great empires.
Marinus filled that role admirably enough. When he wasn't lying under some table, he was quite adept at dodging anything that could be seen as politically relevant. But his excessive drinking also led to his death after three years as the vicar of Christ.
By then, his cousin, Archbishop Athanaricos of Crimea, had won enough influence to win the election, and he had his eyes east. The former regent of Gothia knew everything about the empire and its enemies. He encouraged Valeria to continue claiming what the Holy See had designated as their land, and the zealous empress obliged.
With the death of Caelestinus III in 1414, the second son of Theudis VIII's twin sister Riccilo became Marinus IV. But Valeria's cousin was too drunk to invite the empress, who visited the Eternal City as a simple pilgrim.
Marinus IV is a historical footnote, especially compared to his successor Silvester II. The conclave apparently desired a malleable pope, someone who wouldn't take sides between the western – Francian – and eastern – Gothic – influence, even if they knew they had to pick someone from these great empires.
Marinus filled that role admirably enough. When he wasn't lying under some table, he was quite adept at dodging anything that could be seen as politically relevant. But his excessive drinking also led to his death after three years as the vicar of Christ.
By then, his cousin, Archbishop Athanaricos of Crimea, had won enough influence to win the election, and he had his eyes east. The former regent of Gothia knew everything about the empire and its enemies. He encouraged Valeria to continue claiming what the Holy See had designated as their land, and the zealous empress obliged.
The Khanate of Khotan, the last sedentary remnant of the Mongol Empire, found its end in 1420.
1420 was also the year in which Maharaja Laxminath Singh Dev of Nepal finally died. Never having recovered from Theudis' Chest, the broken monarch had not entertained any other thoughts of freeing himself from Gothic influence.
His son Rudranarayan was different. While they all knew that Theudis was long dead, the new maharaja didn't carry the latent fear of Gothic retribution with him and attempted to win back Nepalese freedom again.
Valeria wisely decided that the kingdom encompassing most of the Tibetan highland was too unruly for it to remain a tributary, and that Gothia's resources had to be used differently. But the Gothic army, still present in the region, would still see action. Nepal's price for its freedom would be their lands in the Tarim Basin, so that the entirety of the former Khanate became Gothic.
For Rudranarayan, the question remains if he truly won his kingdom's freedom, or if he traded tribute for future conquest, a question that would not be answered in Valeria's lifetime.
For the empress, without the Pope's encouragement, was very much a monarch of her people. Her great law reform, the Codex Valeriae, remained the holy grail of Gothic law for centuries.
Silvester, on the other hand, had great plans. And spent his time gathering support for his plans, until he launched the Thirteenth Crusade in 1430.
His aim was “to drive a spear deep into India's guts”. Spreading Catholicism apparently was merely a pleasant side effect for the Pope's motivation. Silvester the Purifier wished to establish another Gothic state and fully ensure his kin's domination.
The crusade for Karnata was long and bloody. Crusaders either came over land through Byzantine Persia or Gothic Afghanistan or over the sea, using Arab Gothic ships. They faced nearly all of India, banded together in defence of “the Goth”. Just as the Muslims referred to the early crusaders as “the Franks”, for the Indians the Goths were the face of the crusaders, no matter where they actually came from.
Too present was the struggle of the northern Indians against Gothia, too important the impact of the War Saint's campaign against the Somavamsi.
The crusade officially lasted four years, cutting a bloody swath throughout much of India. Valeria's daughter Maria was named Queen of Karnata – and for the whole remainder of her reign, the crusade basically continued.
Under Maria's zealous rule and inspiring leadership on the battlefield, the young crusader state shattered Indian opposition and soon came to dominate the south of the subcontinent.
1420 was also the year in which Maharaja Laxminath Singh Dev of Nepal finally died. Never having recovered from Theudis' Chest, the broken monarch had not entertained any other thoughts of freeing himself from Gothic influence.
His son Rudranarayan was different. While they all knew that Theudis was long dead, the new maharaja didn't carry the latent fear of Gothic retribution with him and attempted to win back Nepalese freedom again.
Valeria wisely decided that the kingdom encompassing most of the Tibetan highland was too unruly for it to remain a tributary, and that Gothia's resources had to be used differently. But the Gothic army, still present in the region, would still see action. Nepal's price for its freedom would be their lands in the Tarim Basin, so that the entirety of the former Khanate became Gothic.
For Rudranarayan, the question remains if he truly won his kingdom's freedom, or if he traded tribute for future conquest, a question that would not be answered in Valeria's lifetime.
For the empress, without the Pope's encouragement, was very much a monarch of her people. Her great law reform, the Codex Valeriae, remained the holy grail of Gothic law for centuries.
Silvester, on the other hand, had great plans. And spent his time gathering support for his plans, until he launched the Thirteenth Crusade in 1430.
His aim was “to drive a spear deep into India's guts”. Spreading Catholicism apparently was merely a pleasant side effect for the Pope's motivation. Silvester the Purifier wished to establish another Gothic state and fully ensure his kin's domination.
The crusade for Karnata was long and bloody. Crusaders either came over land through Byzantine Persia or Gothic Afghanistan or over the sea, using Arab Gothic ships. They faced nearly all of India, banded together in defence of “the Goth”. Just as the Muslims referred to the early crusaders as “the Franks”, for the Indians the Goths were the face of the crusaders, no matter where they actually came from.
Too present was the struggle of the northern Indians against Gothia, too important the impact of the War Saint's campaign against the Somavamsi.
The crusade officially lasted four years, cutting a bloody swath throughout much of India. Valeria's daughter Maria was named Queen of Karnata – and for the whole remainder of her reign, the crusade basically continued.
Under Maria's zealous rule and inspiring leadership on the battlefield, the young crusader state shattered Indian opposition and soon came to dominate the south of the subcontinent.
The Saintly Empress
Far from the bloodbaths of India, Empress Valeria became a beloved leader of her people. The roads and cities were safe. The borders were safe. Taxes were low. The Codex Valeriae increased the commoners' rights. There were no scandals at court, and the faithful empress the very picture of a virtuous person.
The people hailed her as the Saintly.
Others saw her as weak. Pretenders rose up, Eugenios and Athanaricos, grandsons of Sergia the Fearless. Gothia needed strong leadership, and it would be able to make the world bow just like it did under the War Saint.
The pretenders didn't win over as much support as they would have liked. Eugenios was fended off in 1434, Athanaricos in 1443.
But it left a mark on the empress, who couldn't understand their way of thinking. Couldn't fathom their ambition, their thirst for power. At the same time, she realized that her research into the causes of slow fever had not led her anywhere.
To her dismay, her heir Sergia started to agree with the pretenders, at least insofar as the crown's strength was concerned.
The Saintly could not take it. She fell into a deep depression. In the end, she challenged her daughter for her beliefs – in a duel.
It caused quite an outrage at the time, but the empress' word was still law. Courtiers and the common people all had their own opinions on the challenge, their own theories about the motive. For many, it was the Crown Princess siding with the pretenders that drove Valeria over the edge. Nothing could be clearer to prove Gothic strength. Either she would succeed, making her clearly a strong monarch, to be succeeded by a powerful crusader queen in the future – or she would fail, in which case Sergia's point of view was proven right.
Valeria would have exclaimed that she preferred to deal with such matters in broad daylight rather than with daggers in the night.
Nowadays, it is commonly seen as Valeria's way to commit suicide. She was both unwilling to commit such a grave sin and unwilling to continue to live. Sergia desired to rule in her stead. Then she would have to prove it. Prove her strength, a strength that would not leave her open to the same criticism she had faced.
The challenge was accepted, and Crown Princess Sergia became empress in one of the more barbaric ways possible – by slaying her own mother. Perhaps Valeria had explained her motives before – for the new empress didn't seem to deal with the transition of power any differently than those who have come before, with the traditional period of mourning followed by her coronation, without an apparent second thought given to what placed her there.
Valeria's rule is generally seen as Gothia turning inwards – and this loss of external influence, while probably beneficial to the Gothic people as a whole, was not welcomed by the established elites, whose lineage reached back to the Endless Crusaders and was defined first by resistance, then conquest of the steppes, reaching their high point mere decades ago.
With the little presence of the clergy in Gothia, their counterpart were the merchants, grown incredibly rich thanks to full Gothic control of the silk road. Without tolls to pay, the Goths' prices were unbeatable in that regard. With the Thirteenth Crusade, not even the military merchants, their wares renowned across the entire world, suffered under Valeria.
Her rule was thus also a clash of those two influences, the nobility and the merchants. The nobility lost during the Saintly's reign, but her death might mean their return to power. Sergia would have to deal with this struggle of influence, one way or the other.
This clash also remains visible in how fondly the Saintly is remembered. Those dreaming of absolute Gothic supremacy bemoan her reign as the definite loss of the War Saint's Gothia, turning towards Silvester the Purifier as the true leader of the Goths at the time, while those looking at social progress see her like most of her contemporaries.
Her death remains a key point of discussion. The circumstances of the challenge, and the consequences of a different outcome.
As the Middle Ages ended, Sergia III took the reins of the Empire of Gothia, and her task would not be easy.
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Is it just me or has there been a high % of female rulers? No Intrigue is not good when someone wants to take your place at the top of the mountain. Thank you for the update. With only one more ruler to go and less than a decade, now is a good time for me to thank you for the gift that your imagination and memory has given us. Thank You
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Wow, I had not expected a duel to the death! I think an internal-focused ruler was good, building things back up. However, I look forward to one last glorious string of conquests before the game comes to an end!
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Sure thing, now that we've reached the end I planned to do that anyway.
There has been, even if it didn't prevent the Theudises to reach the VIII - a side effect of absolute cognatic. If you want to have rulers whose very presence makes their enemies flee in terror simply due to the power of their ancestral blood, then female rulers are a blessing. Though here this wasn't my primary motivation, but simply to keep the dynasty going, so it was a nice side effect.
Thanks a lot for your commenting
.It was completely out of character for Valeria, a surefire sign that she had already given up on life. Another Gothic monarch who didn't find a peaceful end. Thinking back, there were only very few who had a peaceful death...
I may have to disappoint you on that regard.
I can imagine that at the end of a very long conclave, he had finally completely sobered up, and managed to convince the cardinals to finally elect him with these very same arguments, after they had begun to forget how he usually acts
.And now for Sergia III... actually, it's more an epilogue than Sergia's reign. We've reached 1444, and it wouldn't really reflect the new, young empress to just mention the next nine years.
On the other hand, that it's 1444 could be a sign for a seamless transition to EU IV. I haven't picked it up in a while, but if there's enough interest, I may convert the game and continue the Goths' story in a megacampaign. Other empires are definitely strong enough to pose a challenge (even if the widespread Thathicos dynasty might cause early PUs).
What do you think?
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Sergia III - 1444
Sergia III – Epilogue, 1444
The new empress stood at the cusp of a new age, and so it might be a good time to look at the state of the “Old World” at the time.
It was dominated mostly by four empires, ruled by two dynasties: the van Vlaanderen in Francia, the Thathicos in Gothia, Byzantium and China.
It was dominated mostly by four empires, ruled by two dynasties: the van Vlaanderen in Francia, the Thathicos in Gothia, Byzantium and China.
In western Europe, Francia drove out the Aztecs. While the British Isles were mainly the territory of the Orthodox Anglo-Saxons of England, overlords of the former Irish crusader kingdom which has claimed the mantle of the Aztec Empire, Francia's power was unchallenged on the continent. But Emperor Clotaire had been placed on the throne by the nobility at his cousin's expense. He seemed a more malleable ruler... but uninvolved in that rebellion was king Roubaud the Pious of West Francia. The head of the Karlings controlled around half the empire, and despite his epithet, he was accused of apostasy. Clotaire was at least savvy enough not to openly move against Roubaud, but any spark could trigger a truly devastating civil war.
Byzantium had stabilized under Thathicos rule, but their Russian lands were disconnected from the Greek Empire. The Goths controlling the waterways made great profits at any Byzantine traveller's expense, be it an Imperial messenger or anyone else. The last show of unity was the Thirteenth Crusade – but India was far away, and back at home tensions were rising. Basileus Fereedun was a smart man, but with many enemies. Targeted by a Jihad, excommunicated, his treasury empty, he relied on the power of his enormous army. And directed envious gazes across the Black Sea – prospering Gothia could solve many of his problems. It seemed like a conflict between the foremost powers of eastern Europe was inevitable.
Between the three European hegemons, Poland had established itself as a long-lasting kingdom. This kingdom also entered a difficult time: Since the death of Snowid the Pious in 1427, the Bulgarian Bogoris dynasty reigned the kingdom – Orthodox foreigners. And now, a girl sat on the throne... An internal conflict might not only devastate the kingdom itself, but also cause the Teutonic State, the King-Bishopric of Lithuania, Francia or its vassals to take notice.The other Orthodox powers would not be able to support Poland, for king Wulfhelm of England had little interest in the region – and was imprisoned by a French bishop. Sviþjoð and the kingdom of Finland struggled for dominance in Scandinavia, and it seemed like king Gandalfr of Sviþjoð had overestimated his power and support. Dealing with revolts, king Arvo of Finland seemed to have the upper hand.
In Africa, the Nahuafricans had safely established themselves south of the Sahara. Huetlatoani Opochtli reigned a stable empire – though also a backwater compared to the rest of the so-called civilized world. The remaining Muslim powers, mostly in Abyssinia and the Horn of Africa, had seen the turmoil in Egypt with pleasure, but with the rise of Queen Alexia, the Gothic advance seemed poised to continue.
The Jamalid Sultan Muhammad of Syria also held Abyssinia, and ruled the strongest remaining Muslim realm. Against the advance of Byzantium and the Georgian despotate, they still had significant power. But they would have to wait for a moment of weakness in the crusader kingdom of Arabia, now led by the promising Queen Stephania, if they could ever dream of seizing Islam's holiest places. Increasing the difficulty of this task was that the Jamalids' lands were spread out and thus difficult to defend.
The rivalling kingdoms in north India were dreaming of forming an empire to challenge the Goths. In that dream, the local maharaja was of course leading that empire. So the dream remained one. Nepal was arguably the most powerful of the Indian realm, and the Nepalese had a severe collective Gothic trauma to overcome, avoiding to challenge Cherson's interests. Only in the turmoil of the Thirteenth Crusade, they were all united for a moment. The loss in the crusade left them weakened, allowing the rise of a republic – tellingly, at the western, Gothic edge of the subcontinent, Gandhara stood for a different approach of government and a different stance to the Gothic enemy.
Said enemy had made great inroads in Karnata. Queen Maria had been given an absolutely enormous warchest by Pope Silvester, and she rapidly expanded Catholic presence. The southern Indians had neither formed a great empire of their own nor did they come under Bengal influence, and the crusader's invasion shattered their realms, each ruler entering an ill-fated attempt to fend off Maria's seemingly endless power on their own. Already, many people had converted, unwilling to anger their new monarch. It seemed like only a matter of time until she would proclaim another Gothic empire in India.
Gothia itself had stable borders. The Imperial armies had nearly solely waged war against nomadic territory, but under Sergia it seemed likely that they would reinforce the efforts of the exarchates of Transoxania and Turkestan to end the scattered Hindu realms in eastern Persia – if there was no greater conflict on the horizon.
The eastern lands remained sparsely settled, still with Mongol majorities in many counties. Otherwise, Gothia was still a wide land, but no longer empty. The Gothic people was one of the cultures with the highest population of that time, something which was hardly to be expected five centuries ago.
Gothia was also a supremely Catholic land, ever since its inception. Not only due to the scandal surrounding Princess Liuvigoto and the Gothic Inquisition, the imperial steppe was firm in their beliefs. It is no surprise that two Thathicos popes rose in succession in the 15th century, and there would clearly be more Gothic popes in the future.
The Gothic capital of Cherson was truly the world's greatest city of the time. Flourishing in every possible way, the metropolis eclipsed the two other European empires' capitals by far. Even without the significant unrest in Constantinople, Cherson was richer than both the heart of Byzantium and Paris together, and far more radiant as well. While the capital of Francia still remained a dirty medieval city, the Goths had installed a functioning sewage system, an absolute rarity at the time. Behind its mighty walls, the city was impregnable, clean and immeasurably rich.
The Eternal City and the City of the World's Desire – both couldn't compare to the Jewel of Gothia, which stood as an example of the Gothic rise throughout the centuries. From an insignificant, foreign county at the border to a respected crusader kingdom, from a Mongol vassal to the greatest Emperor the world had ever seen. Anyone walking the streets of Cherson in the mid-15th century could think that they stood in the centre of the world.
At the time, the Goths' wealth and splendour was also reflected in a cultural and technological lead. With Cherson as the heart of innovation, along the entire Silk Road people had a living standard decades, if not a century ahead of western Europe and India, two ahead of troubled Scandinavia and three ahead of the Nahuafricans.
Not only in Gothia – outside of the empire, the most advanced city was Tiflis, heart of the Georgian despotate.
If not already earlier, with the ascension of Theudis VIII, the Gothic Golden Age had begun. How long would it last?
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congratulations on making it to a glorious Gothic finale. An interesting late medieval world you ended up with.
The last chapter managed to slip by me, so some late comments:
Thanks for the story thus far.
The last chapter managed to slip by me, so some late comments:
The name is truly cursed.
A fitting culmination of Gothic religious supremacy in name, anyway. And if the first was personally unfit, the next was far more impressive.
But unable to dodge his own early death at the hands of the demon drink.
Probably for the best, if not the most exciting course.
The Gothic reach remains long and strong nonetheless.
Something of a turn up: a self-martyrdom.
Could be fun!
Thanks for the story thus far.
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It is quite interesting to see Orthodoxy jumped to the far side of Europe, settling in Britain and Scandinavia while Catholicism continuously marched east. Muslims did very poorly, as is normal for CK2, but it's nice to see the Aztecs have stabilized, making a new culture in Africa.
I think a conversion to EU4 could be fun, but it's up to you! I'd definitely check it out.
I think a conversion to EU4 could be fun, but it's up to you! I'd definitely check it out.
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A great summary of the world in this final chapter! Gothia truly reigns supreme.
If you want to convert this to EU4, I would read it.
If you want to convert this to EU4, I would read it.
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Gothia is truly a world spanning superpower! A glorious success. I would happily read an EU4 AAR,.
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My most surprising finds: Karling survival! 19 religions like my 1400 Avon. Is 15-21 typical number for most late games?
Do we want EU4? Is this a trick question? Of course we want it, readers are very greedy.
Thank you for your work
Do we want EU4? Is this a trick question? Of course we want it, readers are very greedy.
Thank you for your work
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I'll get to converting the game then. Might take a while, as the conversion needs quite a lot of fixing before I can launch it (such as Uzbek suddenly reappearing in the middle of Gothia, the Irish Aztec Empire a part of the Mexican one, etc.).
Some oddities are interesting but won't matter, such as Cherson migrating east (moving to the county of Caffa) and Tana having a great harbour... despite having no access to the sea (the county of Tyn in EU IV is landlocked by Azov) . And the Mongols' horse statue has converted to a monument to Glitterhoof.
A pope was long overdue if you'd ask the Goths. Two in succession was just what they needed.
The traumatised Nepalese surely haven't heard the last of the Goths.
Since she landed there, she's been non-stop warring. The Gothic reach extend over much of Asia, and that's impressive.
Self-martyrdom that doesn't cost her the Saintly nickname, and it's less painful, too. Sergia will have to cope with it, though.
Had a lot of fun writing it.
Without the Aztecs, the Muslims would likely have dominated the west. Hispania had advanced into Italy, successfully defended against a crusade, then the Aztecs came for their heartland. Mongols devastated them from the east, and Byzantium and the later crusades did the remaining damage.
I wonder if I should create the Nahuafrican culture in EU IV. It would definitely fit them and set them some more apart from their overseas brethren.
Might be. But then again, there are only four religions left that matter. In a typical game, I'd say that there are Catholics, Orthodox, Sunnis and Hindus as important rulers left at the end, while the remaining religions are marginally represented. With the exception of the hordes, where any religion can be represented.
Some oddities are interesting but won't matter, such as Cherson migrating east (moving to the county of Caffa) and Tana having a great harbour... despite having no access to the sea (the county of Tyn in EU IV is landlocked by Azov)
. And the Mongols' horse statue has converted to a monument to Glitterhoof.The name should really start having a fate like the German Adolf.congratulations on making it to a glorious Gothic finale. An interesting late medieval world you ended up with.
The last chapter managed to slip by me, so some late comments:
The name is truly cursed.
A fitting culmination of Gothic religious supremacy in name, anyway. And if the first was personally unfit, the next was far more impressive.
But unable to dodge his own early death at the hands of the demon drink.
Probably for the best, if not the most exciting course.
The Gothic reach remains long and strong nonetheless.
Something of a turn up: a self-martyrdom.
Could be fun!
Thanks for the story thus far.
A pope was long overdue if you'd ask the Goths. Two in succession was just what they needed.
The traumatised Nepalese surely haven't heard the last of the Goths.
Since she landed there, she's been non-stop warring. The Gothic reach extend over much of Asia, and that's impressive.
Self-martyrdom that doesn't cost her the Saintly nickname, and it's less painful, too. Sergia will have to cope with it, though.
Had a lot of fun writing it
.The Orthodox exodus was likely caused in part by the Byzantine expansion into Russia, at least insofar as Scandinavia is concerned. Britain is a weird case, but it's interesting that it established itself on the island.
Without the Aztecs, the Muslims would likely have dominated the west. Hispania had advanced into Italy, successfully defended against a crusade, then the Aztecs came for their heartland. Mongols devastated them from the east, and Byzantium and the later crusades did the remaining damage.
I wonder if I should create the Nahuafrican culture in EU IV. It would definitely fit them and set them some more apart from their overseas brethren.
Less supreme than before, but the Gothic culture definitely does. One can only wonder what's left in store for them.
Most importantly, not the only one! So it might still be interesting.
The Karlings always stayed in power too, even if they fell under the van Vlaanderen - France was still called West Francia, and Germany was still East Francia.
Might be. But then again, there are only four religions left that matter. In a typical game, I'd say that there are Catholics, Orthodox, Sunnis and Hindus as important rulers left at the end, while the remaining religions are marginally represented. With the exception of the hordes, where any religion can be represented.
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Thank you for seeing this through! It’s been good to catch up on it in my spare time and seeing a transfer over to EU4 would be interesting.
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If I remember right you said they had a liberator rise up quite some time ago. He must have picked up Orthodoxy somewhere and it stuck.
Well, that is interesting to see! I'd enjoy a game where Muslims are a little bit stronger since they usually get Crusaded out of the Middle East in my games while nothing happens in Spain. Admittedly, I haven't played many pre-1066 starts, so they could be stronger while more united.
That would be a nice touch. What difference does culture make in EUIV? I've never played it before.
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And I thank you for your readership
.That's right, there was a liberator - thing is, he was already Orthodox. My guess would be that some Greek inherited land over there, something which I could check - but it's nice to leave a little mystery there, no?
Pre-1066 starts have the Umayyads in Spain, and they form Hispania nearly all the time. If there's no Francia to keep them in check, then they expand into Europe until decadence or crusades knock them down a peg.
Only difference is that the Aztecs would have some penalties while holding wrong culture land - if they weren't an empire, which negates penalties from the same culture group (which means that Greeks and Goths don't discriminate against each other, too). Still, creating the culture was easy enough (I basically copied the Aztec culture, made a mini-event to convert the African land, consoled the culture change and called it a day), so we've got the Nahuafricans now.
I've also begun with the EU IV part, after fixing the borders a bit (especially the Swedish-Polish borders...
). I've played through Sergia's reign, and I can at least say that things didn't go as I expected.For those interested, this was the conversion result before I made my fixes.
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