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The religious map picture for the ERE looks to be corrupted or something for me.
 
India Preview
India Preview

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In 633, India is dominated by two large states - the Empire of Harsha (Pushyabhuti) and the Empire of Pulakeshin II (Badami Chalukya).

On the north western outskirts of the sub-continent are the remnants of the Huna kingdom. Yudhishthira rules over the main Huna kingdom. To the west, I've represented the minor Nezak states as part of one dynasty, leaving the Zhunbils with just a couple provinces.

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On the eastern borders of the Huna kingdom are the minor states of Karkota and Trigarta. Conquering the latter would be the first step for any would be Karkotan emperor.

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Directly south, lie the lands of the Sindh, Rajputs and Gujarat.

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In Sindh, Chach of Alor has been ruling for just a few years, having seized the Sindhi throne in 631 from the more than a century old Rai dynasty. 633 sees Chach still needing to mop up former Sindhi vassals, represented by Agham of Lohana.

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The Pratihara rule the most prominent of the Rajupt kingdoms. Members of that dynasty also exist as vassals under the Maitraka.

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Another notable Rajput state is that of Chitrakut, ruled by a dynasty that claims descent from the ancient Maurya.

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The Maitraka first established themselves as an independent kingdom in 475, formerly ruling the same lands as governors for the Gupta Empire.

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In addition to their Pratihara vassals, they rule over the soon to be famous Gurjaras, as well as a host of native Gujarati states.

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Harsha first gained his crown when his brother Rajya was killed in battle while attempting to rescue their widowed sister, Rajyashri. She had been married to Grahavarman, the Makuhari king, until his untimely death at the hands of Shashanka of Gauda. In his sister's name, Harsha conquered the former Makuhari lands and made Kannauj the capital of his new empire.

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The Pushyabhuti Empire is divided up among a number of Harsha's historical retainers - completely creative license on placement though! Most prominent among them is Arjun who would historically go on to usurp the throne after Harsha's death.

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Members of the Later Gupta also count among Harsha's subjects and should they find themselves in his favour, may find themselves rulers yet again.

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The history of Bengal and its environs are obscured in this time period, so I've filled it with a few realms documented to rule at that time or shortly after.

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On the southeastern edge of Harsha's empire are a collection of minor Oriya states. Damoh and Ratanpur are ruled by remnants of the Kalachuri.

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Pulakeshin II can count among his many accomplishments that he was the man who stopped Harsha from conquering more of India. His decisive defeat of the latter established the Narmada river as a firm political boundary.

That said his empire stands on the edge of a precipice as each of his many sons views himself as rightful heir.

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Outside of the lands held by his sons, his many vassals consist of independent kingdoms as well as dynasties propped up by Chalukyan largesse.

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One minor state pulled in from the Paradox history files is that of the Rashtrakuta, although it is uncertain what relation this branch has to the later impressive house.

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The remainder of mainland India is comprised of several Tamil states, the Pandya (with their vassals the Cholas) as well as the Pallavas and Cheras.

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Finally, Sri Lanka is locked in a state of civil war between the House of Moriya and the rebel Dathopa, who would historically unseat the centuries old dynasty.

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Religiously, India presents as primarily a mix of Hindu and Jain practices with a strong presence of Buddhism along the north (an in Sri Lanka).

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Culture map is mostly unchanged from WtWSMS 600 start apart from the subsuming of Indo-Scythian provinces in the Rajput and Maharashtri Prakrit cultures (and I believe a stronger Panjabi presence).

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The religious map picture for the ERE looks to be corrupted or something for me.

Does it still look that way? I can't replicate an issue on any of my devices.

That does remind me I forgot to mention that I removed Monothelite provinces. I'm struggling to see it making sense to have Herakleios and the Patriarch of Alexandria, Cyrus, represented as heretics. I'm thinking maybe could be represented as some sort trait/events and then the heresy only existing as random/if they push it as a permanent policy (rather than one that was historically walked back).
 
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Ravenna Exarchate should probably be represented by a tributary ally. Given the level of autonomy with the Exarchates.

It'd represent how they couldn't really be expected to have soldiers drawn from while also having them pay "taxes" to the Emperor. (and it increases the difficulty for the Byzantines as it means fewer provinces to draw on for manpower vs the Arabs)

Maybe put in a decision to vassalize the Exarchate if you reclaim more of Italy and drive the Lombards out. IDK. Just spitballing here.
 
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Ravenna Exarchate should probably be represented by a tributary ally. Given the level of autonomy with the Exarchates.

It'd represent how they couldn't really be expected to have soldiers drawn from while also having them pay "taxes" to the Emperor. (and it increases the difficulty for the Byzantines as it means fewer provinces to draw on for manpower vs the Arabs)

Maybe put in a decision to vassalize the Exarchate if you reclaim more of Italy and drive the Lombards out. IDK. Just spitballing here.

That would indeed have the benefit of also making it so that the Exarchate can be chipped away at by enemies without necessarily facing down the full empire. But then it also limits pretty much any control Byzantine emperor would have over who rules it / over what provinces it rules.

A tough call. I think it'll depend what makes the most sense for balance as things progress into the 8th century and that will need to wait for multiple playthroughs. On that I'm also not sure what to do about the legions that the Byzantines can call up. It feels like the AI doesn't always make proper use of them and yet as the player they can be used to make the Empire pretty untouchable...
 
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Persia Preview
Persia Preview

The Sassanid Empire is still of impressive size but that same size masks serious vulnerabilities.

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Yazdegerd III, the current and historically final Sassanid monarch, was installed on his throne by Rostam Farrokhzad and Piruz Khosrow as a compromise candidate.

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His ascession marked the end of several years of civil war, during which a series of shahanshahs found themselves installed by noble coups and then removed by murder by rival houses.

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Though the struggle for succession was primarily over by 633, the realm was far from united. A great deal of power has been seized by prominent noble families and there is no love lost for Yazdegerd.

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Piruz Khosrow rules over Media. He counts among his vassals several members of House Mihran which has historical ties to those lands.

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Niketas and Nike are two interesting members of that house who are "guests" of the Byzantine Empire. Their late father Shahrbaraz married Nike to a son of Herakleios and sent his son, Niketas, as a virtual hostage to seal a pact of alliance with that same emperor.

As Shahrbaraz shortly ruled the Sassanid Empire before his death, both Niketas and Nike have claims to the throne despite following the Chalcedonian faith.

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Rostam Farrokhzad and his brother, Farrukhazd, lead House Ispahbudhan and rule over lands in western and central parts of the empire.

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The illustrious House Karen is represented by just a couple counts at this time, having largely been driven out of favour and out of power by Hormizd IV for treacherous acts against him.

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Kanadbak rules over a vast territory in northeastern Persia, while Mahoe Suren, who would eventually order the assassination of Yazdegerd III, serves as marzban of Marv.

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Mahoe is part of House Suren which also rules lands around Fars, though some of their members are fictional constructions to maintain dynastic continuity. (As much as possible, I've tried to mark out fictional characters in my character history files.)

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Aparviz rules in eastern Persia as the last member of House Spandiyadh.

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The Persian empire also has several non-Persian vassals. On the southern border with the Caliphate, are two Nestorian Aramean rulers, father and son duo, Saluba and Busbuhra, most notable for changing allegiances as they sought to keep a hold of their ancestral lands.

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Armenia remained hotly contested between the Byzantine and Sassanid Empires during this era. On the Persian side vassals include Mushell II of House Mamikonian, as well as a tributary state in Caucasian Albania.

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The Byzantine side boasts Varaz-Tiroc Bagrationi and Mjej Gnuni.

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Just outside the grasp of both empires is Georgian Kartli and the minor Sarir Shahdom.

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As a closing note, you may have seen what appeared to be a misplaced Persian vassal in Khuzestan. I've kept that duchy level title as two province independent realm to represent the reign of Khosrau IV. Known from minted coins in Susa, this shadowy figure is thought to have contested rule of the Sassanid Empire until as late as 636. You may have spotted earlier that I've put in his father as a member of House Ispahbudhan, which I felt was the most plausible of several competing lineages.

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Religious map:
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Cultural map:
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That would indeed have the benefit of also making it so that the Exarchate can be chipped away at by enemies without necessarily facing down the full empire. But then it also limits pretty much any control Byzantine emperor would have over who rules it / over what provinces it rules.

A tough call. I think it'll depend what makes the most sense for balance as things progress into the 8th century and that will need to wait for multiple playthroughs. On that I'm also not sure what to do about the legions that the Byzantines can call up. It feels like the AI doesn't always make proper use of them and yet as the player they can be used to make the Empire pretty untouchable...
For my games I basically made it so that the Byzzies have a -95 percent levy size, but the ruler can build and benefit from buildings that increase retinue cap, to reflect the state of the army in the time period without necessarily relying on the legion mechanic.

Maybe the Exarchates function similarly to the foederatus mechanic? in that you can integrate them at some point. But maybe add some requirements in terms of what provinces you need to own before you can integrate those particular exarchates. but that's an idea that'd probably need to wait for a post-alpha version. Right now the focus should be on getting it working and playable.

I'd probably nix the legions and go for a more retinue-heavy approach. With the caveat that, as reflecting the times, maintaining the Roman army should eat up half of your income. making it so that your retinues effectively function AS your legions. And so that you need to be careful about deployment.

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His ascession marked the end of several years of civil war, during which a series of shahanshahs found themselves installed by noble coups and then removed by murder by rival houses.
Why is Yazdegerd an adult? Wouldn't he be like eight or nine at this time? Is that a gameplay concession so that players don't start out in a regency?
 
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For my games I basically made it so that the Byzzies have a -95 percent levy size, but the ruler can build and benefit from buildings that increase retinue cap, to reflect the state of the army in the time period without necessarily relying on the legion mechanic.

Maybe the Exarchates function similarly to the foederatus mechanic? in that you can integrate them at some point. But maybe add some requirements in terms of what provinces you need to own before you can integrate those particular exarchates. but that's an idea that'd probably need to wait for a post-alpha version. Right now the focus should be on getting it working and playable.

I'd probably nix the legions and go for a more retinue-heavy approach. With the caveat that, as reflecting the times, maintaining the Roman army should eat up half of your income. making it so that your retinues effectively function AS your legions. And so that you need to be careful about deployment.

Yes, something to consider after the initial release. I'll flag that in my items to look at.

Why is Yazdegerd an adult? Wouldn't he be like eight or nine at this time? Is that a gameplay concession so that players don't start out in a regency?

His birthdate is actually unchanged from WtWSMS/vanilla CK2. I haven't changed it because while it appears there are historical sources that note he lived to only age 27/28 and thus was about 8 when installed on the throne, there are also sources that note he was 15/16.

Given the uncertainties about his age and that it does work better gameplay-wise to have him as an adult, I opted not to modify it.
 
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Arabia and East Africa Preview
Arabia and East Africa Preview

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As of the 633 start, nearly all of Arabia is united under the leadership of Caliph Abu Bakr.

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You can see on Abu Bakr's screenshot, a newly added trait called Muhajirun. That trait is also used as part of the work in progress method of succession for the Caliphate called Caliphal succession.

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Work in progress as currently Abbas often ends up preferred over Umar


Abu Bakr's daughter, Aisha is one of the widows of Muhammad.

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She also has a new trait called Mother of the Faithful. This trait prevents Muhammad's widows from re-marrying.

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Ali is the most important living member of House Hashimid. Historically, he would be counted as the fourth caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate. His sons are descendants of Fatimah and would go on to be revered as Imams by Shiite Muslims.

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Another key dynasty is that of the Umayyads. Important members of that house include: Uthman, caliph after Umar; Attab, ruling in Mecca; as well as Muawiyah and Marwan, future Umayyad caliphs.

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The Umayyads also contributed to the military might of the Caliphate. Yazid ibn Abu-Sufyan appointed by Caliph Abu Bakr as one of four generals sent to invade Byzantine Syria in 634. The other three were: Amr ibn al-As, future conqueror of Egypt; the celebrated Khalid ibn Walid, a veteran of the Ridda wars; and Abu Ubaidah ibn Abdullah, an early convert to Islam and companion of Muhammad.

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Two more notable characters at start are Umar, future caliph after Abu Bakr, and Jamil Azd'Uman, the sole remaining pagan Arab ruler.

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Across the Red Sea, there have been a few key changes since 600 start. Nobatia has been absorbed by Makuria. Blemmyes and Axum start with a plethora of same dynasty vassals to keep those realms weak. I've also broken up the realm south of Axum and Gojjam is now ruled by a Christian member of the Solomonid dynasty.

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I've moved around the vassal tribes under the Caliphate to better reflect political setup at the start of the Islamic conquests. I also did away with the duchy of Yamama as it was ended up a powerful vassal while that really should be the Rub' al Khali.

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Religious map:
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Cultural map:
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Garbon, just to say that I'm eagerly following your submod, as an old fan (I had an account under the alias cathar_knight since 2003, but got lost somehow in the forum overhaul) of your previous work for good old EU2 and For the Glory - good old days, it really feels like it was yesterday... Anyway, it's good to see you're still around and toying with the game that it's arguably the best Paradox game since EU2/FtG... (EU4 at least for me is in a downward spiral since Mandate of Heaven and the more recent games...better not mention them). Cheers, and all the best!
 
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Garbon, just to say that I'm eagerly following your submod, as an old fan (I had an account under the alias cathar_knight since 2003, but got lost somehow in the forum overhaul) of your previous work for good old EU2 and For the Glory - good old days, it really feels like it was yesterday... Anyway, it's good to see you're still around and toying with the game that it's arguably the best Paradox game since EU2/FtG... (EU4 at least for me is in a downward spiral since Mandate of Heaven and the more recent games...better not mention them). Cheers, and all the best!

Thank you for your kind words. Here's to hoping I don't disappoint. :cool:

In terms of an update, I'm largely working to finish out placeholder characters so there aren't regions without playable characters. Primarily just Baltics to finish and then a few other small states about the map.
 
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I didn't see any discussion about how islamic splits into shiite and sunni. I know there is a rather buggy event in the wtwsms events file, did you expand on that or revamp it entirely?

It may be simpler to avoid having to split Islam and do something like what CK2 plus does with Greek/Latin rite traits as a way to split up the faithful.
Depending on who votes for Ali in the Shura decides who the initial Sunnis and Shias are.
 
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How's development going?
Garbon might still be working on adding placeholder characters as he said in the October update, that can be quite a bit of work given the extensive nature of the map and the amount of small independent tribes, with sources naturally being very scarce in many areas.
 
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Garbon might still be working on adding placeholder characters as he said in the October update, that can be quite a bit of work given the extensive nature of the map and the amount of small independent tribes, with sources naturally being very scarce in many areas.
I understand how much of a PITA that is firsthand.

I've been working on a Justinian II era submod, for instance. And that's just an utter pain in the ass to fill out.
 
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I've been working on a Justinian II era submod, for instance. And that's just an utter pain in the ass to fill out.
Don't hesitate to send me a PM for that sub-mod if you need any help with regards to the main mod or have any questions on what we did.
 
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Northern, Central, Eastern Europe Preview
So news from me. Mod is nearly ready for an initial release. Just working on a few additional descriptions and some localisation text with hope of having first version out this month.

Northern, Central, Eastern Europe Preview

The rest of Europe is comprised of legendary and wholly fictional characters. Overall design principle is for 633 to bridge the gap between the last history files in WtWSMS and setup in vanilla 769. In cases where fictional characters have been introduced, most of the time they are descendants of the dynasties already present in the same territories in WtWSMS.

Starting us off in Scandinavia, Denmark is ruled by Rorik of House Skiolding.

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Halfdan, father of Ivar, is a Skiolding prince in Scania.

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Jutland is ruled by some equally legendary characters, the family of Amleth (or Hamlet).

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Just north of Scania, are the petty kingdoms of Westrogothia and Ostrogothia.

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The petty kingdom of Sweden is ruled over by Anundr of House Yngling. Sweden is connected by marital ties to Westrogothia through his son, Ingjald.

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Anundr rules over Granmar, Sporsnjall and Ingvar, all rulers later slain by Ingjald at a banquet following his father's death. He would also murder his father-in-law, Algout of Westrogothia.

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Norway is still broken up among many petty kingdoms but the Sami lands have been pushed back a little further north.

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South of Denmark is the Kingdom of Saxony, ruled over by a fictional chief, Cissa. He has 3 brothers ruling over parts of the kingdom to increase chances for infighting.

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The duchy of Polanes has also been broken up, courtesy of the minor Polish states present in CK2Plus.

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The Bayanid dynasty still rules the Avars whose lands also cover a collection of petty Avar, Slavic and Gepid chiefdoms.

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Eastern Europe largely remains the same with the exception of an introduction of some Slavic tribes present in vanilla 769 start.

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Bulgaria is ruled over by Kubrat of House Dulo, a descendant of Attila the Hun.

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Full political view

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Religious view

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Cultural view

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