Josh: laser eyes
I like it. Nice job trying to work all of the myths and legends together. Have you thought about stuff like Leng and the Thousand Isles?
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It seems like things are coming to a head in that we already have Alex and his group in Persia along with Angelica, Josh and Wilhelmina's group's heading there as well I feel like we are heading to an epic showdown. The best part about that being is that the war is only a few months old.
It is funny how everyone else besides Wilhelmina, Friedrich and Ilyana think that they are talking to an imaginary friend. However I am concerned about the last two questions that Wilhelmina askes in if Friedrich and Ilyana can obtain her powers since in the "Three Birds" update it sounded like Theodor and Elias are going to try and capture people like them.
I will admit that that Khirkhog does sound good.
That makes sense since some of them only cover one day as opposed to a few days. Do what ever you think is best.
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Yep, our three protagonist groups are starting to converge on the same spot. Alex/Thea are in Persia, Angelica/Tania just left Constantinople for Persia (with Josh close behind), and Wilhelmina has Persia as her final destination.
Not just a few months ago, one month ago.
Yeah, that's worrying.
It really does sound tasty! Unfortunately my only experience with Mongolian food so far has been hot pot.
Definitely. For this batch of updates, I'm slowing down even further and moving the story forward day by day (there is content for every day in December and likely the first half of January, which is still in progress) so I can do deep dives into each character (specifically Wilhelmina's group). The new internal monologue style I'm trying out is great for this kind of stuff.
All the different POVs about to converge is gonna be a treat to see, though given Josh is close behind Tania/Angelica's group I fear a lot of bloodshed will happen, that's definitely gonna be a gut wrenching chapter once we get there.
Indeed I do actually, Leng is where an eldritch creature is rumored to be imprisoned by Azor Ahai himself (In my current draft, this is where he died after defeating the Bloodstone Emperor and creating a truce with the Lion of the Night), as for the Thousand Isles, it's what it is today because the Bloodstone Emperor wanted to punish the people living there for their continued loyalty to the Amethyst Empress and he shattered the whole landscape and flooded it. and turned the survivors to what they look like in OTL ASOIAF.
And you know what the best thing is? Interactions between the groups. Assuming they survive to get there, obviously.
That sounds really cool. Wonder what else you’re going to do with the hidden/deep lore of Westeros/Essos like the black stones, the Deep Ones, and other ancient legends.
Correction: Once again, I forgot the year the Restoration happened in. It was in 1105, not 1104.
Checking Alexios' wikipedia page and I found out he died in 1118, if we go by that point it'd be already a decade and three years for the Restoration to occur, plenty of time for the Komnenoi to integrate themselves into the reformed Reich (and marrying into the Hohenzollerns given that Alexios had three other brothers, and would presumably have children to marry into the Hohenzollerns) and with Alexios finally confident enough to ensure Fredreich the Glorious is secured on the throne before spending his remaining years in the background then dying of old age (or gout as like in OTL), coincidentally, if he dies in 1118 as in OTL, it'd be on the same year Saint Gunhilda made her appearance.
I like imagining Alexios as the power working in the shadows during Friedrich the Glorious’ early years. Fighting off assassination attempts and coup plots while Friedrich focuses on his wars and the administrative reforms of the Restoration (which most certainly made plenty of enemies in both empires). He could also play a role in weakening the power of the Catholic Church even further, building on what Friedrich the Great did in the Iconoclast Controversy and setting the stage for Saint Wilhelmina to mend the Schism. And since Wilhelmina was born around 1110, he could spend his final years educating her in what he knows. Maybe I could fudge his death date a little (by him not developing gout or it not progressing as fast) so he can actually meet Gunhilda and vouch for her in some way. His death could be caused by angry German and Greek nobles who view his support for a Polish peasant girl as the last straw. He might at the very end name Gunhilda his successor as a protector of the Kaiser.
The Komnenoi definitely integrated themselves deeply into the new Reich by Wilhelmina’s time. I had a John Komnenos as a military commander in Wilhelmina’s Greek Fire adventure, and he had a friendly rivalry with a Doukas commander. I definitely didn’t think too much into it at the time and most certainly wasn’t thinking of all this, but perhaps this rivalry would imply the two families not only integrated very well into the new empire but also patched things up with each other.
I just realized, for a supposed mother-daughter dynamic between Gunhilda and Wilhelmina, Gunhilda is only 8-10 years older than Wilhelmina, while she is 11-13 years younger than Friedrich the Glorious, depending on if she’s 16 or 18 when she appears. To make the age gap with Friedrich smaller, I’m leaning towards 18 even though the save file will most likely say 16, or I might age her up a couple more years.
- 1
Takomaan
December 3
There was no alarm to wake Wilhelmina up other than the sunlight streaming through an opening at the top of the ger and birds singing in the nearby forest. There was something about the morning sunlight and the birdsong. The light wasn’t the same if it was filtered through a window in Berlin, and the birds had stopped singing long ago there too, on account of the constant traffic.
This is beautiful. I don’t remember the last time I heard birds singing, but it’s as beautiful as human songs. How much did we lose when we paved over nature to build our cities?
She soon heard human voices as well, children playing outside. Most of the children were speaking in a mix of Finnish and Mongolian, but she also heard German and Russian voices among them: Friedrich and Ilyana.
Wilhelmina got out of her bed. It was hardly a bed, as it was little more than a cot with a blanket that could easily be rolled up if one needed to go somewhere, but it was comfortable enough. At least there was a Roman-style table and chairs nearby, on which she had placed her glasses—still bloodstained—and few possessions aside from Enonon’s case, which she kept at her side. After putting on her glasses, she noticed someone had placed a new outfit for her on a chair. It was a traditional Mongolian deel, which resembled a large wool overcoat. Instead of buttoning it together in the middle, Wilhelmina instead put it on by pulling it around her and then pulling the left side over the right flap, holding them in place with clasps made of string. It was very roomy yet soft and comfortable at the same time. Her legs also weren’t restricted by the deel, which simply went over her pants, so she could still easily run or ride on a horse. If she wanted to get warmer, she could just put on one of the Yavdian Army winter jackets they took from the bunker. While the deel was traditionally worn with a large sash, or so Samir told her, she decided to use Enonon’s case—particularly its strap—in place of it. Wilhelmina particularly liked the coat’s purple color and beautifully embroidered bird and flower patterns. Once she was fully dressed, Wilhelmina headed out to the dining hall to get breakfast. But as soon as she stepped out onto the slightly wet dirt path, something hit her glasses, and she barely caught them before they fell to the ground.
“Ow!”
It doesn’t actually hurt, I’m just more surprised than anything.
“Sorry, Grandma!” She looked over and saw Friedrich, Ilyana, and several kids gathered behind a small table on which a pile of small animal bones had been placed. On the other side of the path, she noticed another table with more bones placed in a line.
“What are you doing?”
“They call it shagaa,” Ilyana said, “Basically, you flick the sheep ankle bone and hit that target over there!”
To demonstrate, Ilyana flicked a bone past Wilhelmina and neatly hit one of the target bones, knocking it down. She happily jumped around. “Bullseye! Yay!”
“Let me try.” Friedrich flicked a bone, but it only hit the side of the target table. “Aw man…”
“You need to practice more.”
“I know, I know.”
“Sounds fun. Mind if I try as well?”
Friedrich looked at his friends. Although he didn’t speak Finnish or Mongolian, they understood his intention and nodded.
“Alright, sure!”
Wilhelmina walked up to the table and set a bone in front of her hand. Lining up her sight with the target table, she readied her finger and flicked. The bone fell pathetically short of the table, landing in the middle of the path. Some of the kids laughed.
Imagine that, a bunch of random kids laughing at the Kaiserin.
“Don’t worry, first try,” Ilyana said.
An idea crossed Wilhelmina’s mind.
Can I? No, why would I? Then again, nothing’s stopping me.
She put another bone in front of her hand. This time, she concentrated. Wisps of energy appeared around her hand. She calmly counted to three and then flicked the bone. The bone flew through the air with a trajectory that looked like it would fall short, but it stayed in the air, and it eventually knocked down a target. She smiled. “Dead on.”
“No fair, Grandma! That’s cheating!”
He’s not wrong.
“I suppose it is, huh? Sorry.”
Yeah, most certainly cheating. Note to self: never to use this to win anything serious. Don’t want to accidentally start another war over something as small as cheating at children’s games.
“I wish I had that power.”
“We all do, Ricky.”
The Mongol kids suddenly heard someone saying something and ran off, beckoning Friedrich and Ilyana to follow. Wilhelmina ran after them, heading through the village down to the shore of the frozen lake. The lake was not that big, but it wasn’t small either. It looked like it would take a few minutes to cross in a boat. The forest ringed the far shore, as well as the shore to her right. There was a small island in the middle of the lake with a hill and some trees on it.
“They call that island Takomaan Saari.” Samir suddenly appeared.
“Oh my god, don’t surprise me like that!” Wilhelmina almost jumped two feet.
“Sorry. But yeah, that’s what the island’s called. The village too. Named after the island. Takomaan.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means ‘Forge Island’. After Ilmarinen’s forge.”
Just like Ilmarisen Takomo.
“The Suomenusko smith god? The one they named the bunker after?”
“Yeah,” Samir said.
“Didn’t you say the villagers and the bunker builders didn’t know about each other? Or cared that much?”
“Yeah, the people who built the bunker only named it after Ilmarinen because it’s a large structure in a mountain, which reminded them of Ilmarinen’s forge, and after talking with the elders last night, it’s clear Takomaan has always been named this way. Must’ve been one Tuonela of a coincidence.”
“Who was Ilmarinen anyways?”
“As you know, he’s our patron god of blacksmiths and inventors. He is a lot like the god Hephaestus in Greece. Originally the supreme sky god, until we gave his job to Ukko. Good with tools and making things, bad at romance. The people here seem to be fond of a certain myth about him.”
“What’s it about?”
Always did like old myths. Dad used to read me a book about ancient myths at bedtime when I was 5. Though I imagined he had to gloss over a lot of the…less child-friendly aspects. Especially when it came to Hellenic mythology.
“Okay, let’s see. It’s been a while since I heard the equivalent myth from my grandparents. So there was this old sage named Väinämöinen, who was walking through the frozen northern land of Pohjola when he was captured by the enchantress Louhi. In exchange for letting him go, he was asked to make a Sampo, or a magic artifact.”
“What did the Sampo do?”
“I’ll get to that. So, uh…Väinämöinen wasn’t a blacksmith, so he couldn’t make it, but he knew Ilmarinen could do it. He ‘convinces’ Ilmarinen to go to Pohjola, where he constructs a giant forge in which he can build the Sampo. He worked for a whole week. The first day, he built a crossbow made of gold and silver, but he did not like fighting, so he locked it away. The second day, he built a golden warship, but he did not like it either, so he also locked it away. On the third day, he built a metal cow.”
“And let me guess, it was also related to war so he locked it away?”
“No, it had a bad temper, so he locked it away. On the fourth day, he made a golden plow, but…”
“It had a bad temper too?”
“It didn’t do its job. Instead of turning barren fields into farmland and flourishing meadows, it did the opposite, so he locked it away to fix later. On the fifth day, he decided to put in more work, so he summoned the four winds to fan the flames for three days. And finally, he created the Sampo, a magic mill that produces food and gold.”
So he wanted to make something that provided for the people, not a weapon of war. I can sympathize with that. Too many of our inventions are being twisted into weapons these days. Looking at you, Theodor Tesla.
“And what happened to Vai…Vaa…frak it, the guy whose name starts with V?”
Finnish names are hard.
“Oh, Louhi let him go after taking the Sampo. She buried it deep underground.”
“Seriously? After all that effort, the Sampo is just…buried?”
“Yeah, it was. The villagers claim the Sampo is buried on that island, inside the forge that made it.”
“Do they now?”
“They’ve tried marketing that as a tourist attraction before. But to the outside world, the Sampo is most likely just another myth. That island has nothing special going for it. At least if you’re not a geologist. Then you’d probably be interested in the vein of magma detected under this area.”
“Magma?”
Please don’t tell me we’re on top of a volcano that’s about to erupt. As if my week couldn’t get any worse…
“Don’t worry, we’re perfectly safe. You should be more concerned about the sinkholes and caves common around these parts.”
They watched Friedrich and Ilyana playing with the other village kids. Some of the kids were playing what looked like curling on the ice, pushing rocks across the frozen lake to land on targets marked with sticks. Friedrich was doing rather well now, unlike during the shagaa game.
“The kids are fitting in rather well, aren’t they?”
“Yeah, they are. And to think that just yesterday…”
“Your grandson is a resilient boy. To say nothing about Ilyana.”
Wilhelmina’s stomach growled.
Wait…did I forget breakfast? Oh right! I went here right after waking up.
“Friedrich! Ilyana! We have to eat breakfast!”
Friedrich stopped, obviously disappointed. The other kids groaned with disappointment too, understanding what Wilhelmina said without knowing German. Friedrich and Ilyana dutifully joined Wilhelmina.
“Do we have to eat?”
“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”
“I was about to retake the lead…” Ilyana said.
“Sorry. You can play all you want after breakfast.”
Ilyana’s face lit up again. “Yay!”
They reached the dining ger. Gebhard and Izinchi were already waiting there, eating porridge.
“Quenamicatzintli,” Izinchi said, “Top’o the morn to you.”
“Izinchi. You okay?”
“Never felt better.”
“I mean, your wound.”
“Just after being tae the doctor’s again. Said I was right as rain. Should last me until Persia. Though I should stay put for a few days first.” She rolled up her shirt to show her stomach had been stitched up and given new bandages.
I…think I’m better off not seeing, but thanks for telling me.
“He was more concerned about my skin color,” Izinchi said, “He was all like, ‘Yer a wee bit red, lassie!’ This village’s so isolated he never saw an Eimerican before in his life, even on TV. I told him, ‘Well, yer a wee bit peely-wally, laddie!’”
They laughed.
“Anyways, you’re a bit late,” Gebhard said, “They’re almost done serving breakfast.”
“Friedrich and Ilyana…were a bit occupied with the other village kids,” Wilhelmina said.
Izinchi beamed. “Awww, cute!”
“I won at shagaa,” Ilyana boasted.
“Well, I won at curling!” Friedrich said.
“I would’ve won that too if Mrs. Wilhelmina didn’t drag us to breakfast!”
“Young lady!” Wilhelmina adopted some of Vasily’s old sternness.
Ilyana looked down. “Sorry.”
A waiter walked over and set down plates of turnip salad in front of Wilhelmina, Friedrich, and Ilyana.
“Turnips? What happened to the porridge?”
“They served it all, so they’re serving turnips now. At least it’s no MRE.”
“The elders tell me they’ve come up with so many different turnip recipes,” Samir said, “It’s like their local specialty.”
Wilhelmina looked into the “kitchen” area of the ger and noticed several waiters taking turnips out of what looked like a very old burlap sack. They were taking out way more turnips than could possibly fit in such a sack.
“Should I be concerned…about where they get the turnips from?”
“I’ve been told not to worry about it. They don’t particularly know themselves, only that they’ve been doing this for several generations. The turnips themselves are fine. This village has never known famine thanks to them.”
“Alright, alright. Can’t go wrong with salad, I guess.”
Wilhelmina ate the salad.
Surprisingly delicious. Nothing like last night’s dinner, but it’ll do.
“I was hoping for some cereal,” Friedrich said.
“I wanted porridge,” Ilyana said.
“Well, if you arrive earler tomorrow, then maybe they’ll still have porridge and cereal.”
“Easy for you to say, Gebhard. You always wake up at 5!”
“A legacy of my boot camp days.”
“Anyways,” Wilhelmina said, “Did you guys get anything on the outside world?”
“Oh, you mean through the newspaper?”
Izinchi held up the morning paper. “Sort of…but this is all in Finnish, and the mailman said he couldn’t guarantee tomorrow’s delivery in light of recent events.”
“Let me see that.” Samir took the paper. “Let’s see…this the Suomi Daily. Not exactly the most reputable paper in Yavdi, but us beggars can’t exactly be choosers right now.”
He scanned the first few pages.
“What did you find?” Wilhelmina said.
“‘Yavdian government collapses, surrenders to Jerusalem. Bankruptcy filed. State Great Khural announces the deaths of Tsar-Khagan and Chancellor Amur’. No amount of spin can dispute those facts.”
Damn. I expected this would happen, but to still read about it…it sucks.
“That’s terrible,” Izinchi said, “If the Crusaders control Yavdi, we should think o’ flitting.”
“Relax, they lack the ability to project power this far east. Chinese can’t go this far west either.”
Gebhard looked concerned. “On the other hand, that means this part of Yavdi is about to descend into complete anarchy. Which isn’t good.”
“Well, what can we do then?” Wilhelmina said.
“I mean, we’re only four people in a random village. There’s a local militia, but I doubt they will help much.”
“My squad isn’t at full strength. We lost a lot of good people at the bunker.”
“And Izinchi’s wound needs to heal more,” Wilhelmina said.
“Ye’re havering! I’m right as rain!”
“Is there any good news?” Wilhelmina said.
“Let’s see…‘Ryukyu invades Sumatra. Engagements with Jerusalem looming. Siege of Vilnius lifted, Russians push back the Crusader army’.”
“I totally forgot that was a thing.”
“Bradziunas, you’ve done it again.”
Boris is still alive? And he’s still fighting? That changes a lot.
“In a way, it feels like Olga is still watching over us.”
“Aye. She hasn’t forgotten us. Her people haven’t forgotten her.”
“Let’s not forget her, then.” Wilhelmina smiled hopefully.
We’re still in this fight. All’s not lost yet.
- 3
Broke: using your powers to win a world war where a billion people have already died and more die by the day
Woke: using your powers to beat a children’s game
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I love these dives into Yavdi culture and how it is a mix of Finish and Mongolian.
Yea although different Mythology's are interesting I do agree that some of them might not be suitable for children.
Also I am almost done with my Western Europe update in that I only have Gaul left however I have some questions.
1. In the 1500's the Reich suffered a revolt by the Iconoclasts which and I can't remember if it was TTL's Protestant Reformation or French Wars of Religion and what it was called in TTL?
2. I know that the Netherlands in TTL is called Frisia but I was wondering if that term applied to the entire Benelux region or to just OTL Netherlands?
3. Should I include Benelux in my Western Europe update or should I save it for Central Europe?
Surprised to see that 160k Russian stack drive off the Crusaders from Vilnius. Looks like they might have a chance to fend off Jerusalem even if the odds are masssively against them. And to think Russia and Lithuania used to be bitter enemies and are now united agaist the Committee, goes how far those two have gone.
Since we brought up how Alexious died around the same time that Saint Gunhilda appeared, I suppose we’re not gonna mention how that’s also around the same time that Fredrich the Glorious’s second wife died. Man starting from birth and ending with his death as a maimed cripple, Fredrich really could’t catch a break with how many people he was connect to or close with ended up dying.
I also remember we brought up the idea about Illyria being the bridging ground for the Greek and German halves of the empire thanks to Alexious earlier. I like that idea, but I imagine it would’ve come at a big cost to the natives of the region given there aren’t many south Slavs left in that Balkans here, especially under the Committee. Come to think of it, pretty much every Slavic culture outside of Russia was throughly repressed by the Reich just other cultures like Arab, Hungarian and French were. Damn, we I’m pretty sure Russians aren’t going to ignore that fact now given what Jerusalem is doing.
All this talk about Alexious has me really intrigue. Makes me curious about what the de Hautevilles would be doing at this time, given Robert Guiscard’s interactions with both the HRE and Byzantine Empires. Since you plan on delving into the Investiture Controversy and therofore Italy’s situation, I’m wondering of we’ll touch on the non HRE Italian states, particularly Venice given its history with the Byzantines. I’m very excited to see what you do with the CK2 work, particularly how you handle the historical figures like El CId or William the Conqueror and their interactions with the Hohenzollerns and other fictional characters.
Since we brought up how Alexious died around the same time that Saint Gunhilda appeared, I suppose we’re not gonna mention how that’s also around the same time that Fredrich the Glorious’s second wife died. Man starting from birth and ending with his death as a maimed cripple, Fredrich really could’t catch a break with how many people he was connect to or close with ended up dying.
I also remember we brought up the idea about Illyria being the bridging ground for the Greek and German halves of the empire thanks to Alexious earlier. I like that idea, but I imagine it would’ve come at a big cost to the natives of the region given there aren’t many south Slavs left in that Balkans here, especially under the Committee. Come to think of it, pretty much every Slavic culture outside of Russia was throughly repressed by the Reich just other cultures like Arab, Hungarian and French were. Damn, we I’m pretty sure Russians aren’t going to ignore that fact now given what Jerusalem is doing.
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Yavdi has always been called an aberration and a very unique country that has almost no real life precedent. It's time I gave it content to live up to that reputation.
For that particular line, I was debating on whether I should reference Norse or Greek mythology since both get weird very fast if you look closely. Also, I think you quoted my line twice (once for the above comment).
They were Reformed Iconoclasts, and the other group was known as the Purists. In terms of gameplay events, I mashed together the Protestant Reformation and the French Wars of Religion (among other Reformation event chains) into one huge mass of events, though the overall Fifty Years' War started with what I called the Iconoclast Reformation.
Frisia is what I call all of the Low Countries/Benelux region, but early on in EU4 I used Belgica to describe Belgium. Nowadays it's acceptable to consider lands which are Belgian in real life as part of Frisia.
It's up to you, really. I'm not quite sure myself.
A doomstack's still a doomstack, no matter what game we're in. Russia and Lithuania have certainly come a long way.
I probably will have to address Venice at some point, as gameplay wise I installed the Salians as kings of Venice and then they somehow went and conquered Bulgaria for some reason.
The Spanish arc with El Cid and the princesses is shaping up to be very content heavy, probably as much as the Greek, German, and Italian arcs. El Cid is too good of a character to pass up on. As for William the Conqueror, I'm still not sure what to do with him because as far as I remember, he just showed up late to the invasion of England, and I think I used console commands to help him beat Harold but then get steamrolled by the Norwegians. Which doesn't really fly with the CK2 story where Harald Hardrada directly defeated Harold. I'll address that once I finish this current arc.
Not sure about the Hautevilles, though.
Yeah, that's Shoukouh, the lowborn woman Friedrich the Glorious married. My headcanon from CK2 was she died of an illness around the time Gunhilda appeared (after being married to Friedrich for about 5-6 years and having no children with him). Perhaps I could work the Cult or some angry anti-Restoration nobles into that somehow.
Yeah, the Western and Southern Slavs couldn't catch a break unless they were already marginalized by the time of the Restoration (like the Sorbians might escape relatively unscathed, but I distinctly remember the Bulgarians being Hellenized under Salian Venice, the South Slavs being partitioned between the Greeks and Germans, and the Poles...well, we know what happened to the Poles). Ironically, the Slavic High Priesthood is still based in the Reich, I think. Though he probably packed up and fled to Russia as soon as the committee took over. Russians aren't going to ignore how the remaining Western and Southern Slavs are being treated...but they have to worry about how they themselves are being currently treated first.
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Yeah, I can see how you touch on Venice now, considering the fate of non Lombard Italians after Henrich won the Investiture Controversy and all the non Byzantine and HRE polities where absorbed into the Reich (presumably including cities like San Marino which are still independent IRL). Not to mention Venice‘s own historical connection to the Byzantines, setting aside what they did in the Fourth Crusade of course.
Agreed, the story of the El Cid and the Jimena would be interesting, especially seeing how it would affected by the Norse and the Romans in Hispania. As for England, Ironically I remember hearing about how Anglo Saxons who fought against William ended up going to Byzantium to join the Varangian Guard after the conquest, so maybe something like that would happen here only with both Normans and Anglo Saxons joining Fredrich the Great on his crusade for England towards the end of his rule.
That's a shame, I was quite interested to see what Robert Guiscard's story would've been here, since I remember you being the one who brought up how the Norman conquest of Sicily ended up being connected to the wider Mediterranean, HRE and Byzantine narratives. That, and I felt like Robert Guiscard would've been an interesting character to see interacting with Fredrich the Great, likely as opponents through being dragged into conflicts like the Investiture Controversy or Robert butting heads with the Byzantines like he did in OTL. Plus, pretty sure I remember @TWR97 mentioning Alexious daughter and the author the the Alexiad, Anna Commene, having a crush on Robert's son Bohemond who took part in the First Crusade.
Would that be easter egg happen to be the "not yet lost" phrase at the end there, given its significance to Polish history in OTL? Or would that be something else.By the way, did anyone notice the Easter egg in this update?
Also, notice Ryukyu invading Sumatra there. Man Ryan must be up to some crazy things in the Pacific theater isn't he. Shows how unstoppable Ryukyu really is.
And not to mention Genoa, who had Manfredo Doria. There are a lot of city states that are already tied to either empire one way or another. Though most of them are in northern Italy (Venice, Lombardy, Tuscany, Genoa).
Maybe that would be one reason why the Varangians started accepting non-Norse members.
Oh, you meant Robert Guiscard himself? I was thinking you were referring to the Hautevilles as a whole, as I only had plans for Robert himself. He'd be a wild card Friedrich and Ida would try to get on their side, but he can't really be controlled until Friedrich amasses significant amounts of money, authority, and land to win Robert over. Even then the two would butt heads.
No, it's somewhere else.
Either that or his opponents are still complete idiots who can't comprehend the threat he poses.
Definitely a combination of that and luck being on Ryan and Ryukyu's side, for now at least. Seems their opponents are still underestimating them despite the defeat Ryan manage to inflict (which was of course down to both luck and knowledge of the terrain...er sea)
Looking forward to see what you have in store for Robert Guiscard Zen, I found his dealings with the Byzantines and the HRE in OTL very fascinating, from what I can remember, Alexios had to deal with Robert as well, even paid a hefty sum to Heinreich IV should the Normans ever cross them as well. Also Venice and the ERE did work together during this time against the Normans though from what I read it eventually lead to the 4th Crusade due to the decisions made that day.
Lots of factors are going into Ryukyu's continued successes. Ryukyu's status as being a minor island nation surrounded by huge empires leads to it developing a large navy specifically geared to countering all of those empires' navies. Ryukyu's small population and local industry leads to it focusing on quality over quantity since the neighboring empires will very easily outproduce and outnumber it. Centuries of observing wars on the Asian mainland gives Ryukyu plenty of information on how its enemies behave, especially in relation to each other. Those enemies have also very recently become authoritarian regimes that promote military leaders based on political connections instead of merit, leading to cases of nepotism and incompetence. Higa is a man who does his research on who he's fighting and what firepower they have, then tailors his tactics to take full advantage of his strengths and their weaknesses. And since these regimes are harshly anti-intellectual and anti-meritocratic (as in small-m meritocracy, not the Roman political system), they have no desire to learn like he does, even in the face of failure after failure. They'll just reassign or punish the ones who failed without bothering to ask why they failed, then send another large fleet believing this time they can overwhelm Higa through numbers, firepower, or just plain cultural/ideological superiority. So it's a mix of Ryukyu's traditions and history with its neighbors, Higa devoting the time to study everything about his enemy, and the neighbors shooting themselves in the foot at every possible opportunity due to their authoritarianism. Unless Han and Zhao come around to admitting they messed up and underestimated Ryukyu, they'll continue being humiliated, and their egos will lead them to double down on their current course, causing a vicious cycle in which they simply can't reverse course and consider Ryukyu a serious threat without revealing their own incompetence and idiocy to their peoples.
He would be a very fun rival to Friedrich the Great and Ida. One Friedrich can't beat on the battlefield (but Robert can't beat him either) and one Ida has trouble negotiating with. He did support the Pope during the Controversy, as in 1059 (7 years before the POD) Pope Nicholas II was responsible for investing him as duke of Sicily and the southern Italian lands. He'd be one of the Papacy's biggest allies in the Controversy (as I don't want all of the cool historical figures to be on Friedrich's side, and moving Matilda of Tuscany into Heinrich IV's camp is already pushing it). Looking at his Wikipedia page, he also seemed to have formed an alliance with Michael VII Doukas (whom I previously established to be the Byzantine emperor Friedrich deposed to put Anna Doukaina on the throne) and betrothed his daughter to Michael's son. In real life, this directly led to Robert declaring war on the Byzantines and defeating Alexios himself in battle at the same time he intervened in the Controversy and committed troops to help the Papacy against Heinrich IV. In our new history, Robert could not only be a major supporter of the Controversy but also one of those opposed to Friedrich's plans of Restoration, providing Michael with troops and political support against his HRE/Friedrich-backed sister while also fighting in Italy to stop HRE expansion in the area. Thus the HRE and Byzantine halves of the story are brought closer together and made even more complicated with the addition of a third wild card faction. I could introduce Alexios in the 1070s (possibly as a fellow crusader in the Holy Land) and set the stage for his and Friedrich's partnership due to their mutual opposition to Robert.
- 1
Mom’s Lesson
Takomaan - December 4
A light snow had fallen over the village, covering the tops of the gers and the dirt roads in a light whiteness. But the villagers continued about their chores like it was business as usual. Friedrich and Ilyana were off having a snowball fight with the other village kids near the forest—although the snow these days had hints of gray, reflecting the color of the fallout-covered morning sky—but as for Wilhelmina, she was following Samir to the stables for the day’s business.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Even if we find cars in the next village over, I doubt we’ll find places to refuel them on the whole trip. And I see this as the perfect opportunity for some cultural immersion.”
“I’m just a little nervous. Never really did listen to Mom’s lessons that much.”
“Never too late to start learning.”
“Don’t Yavdians start learning from a young age?”
“At least those in the countryside do. A city kid like me? Well…we don’t have time or space in the city.”
They arrived at their destination, the stables. Or what should have been the stables if there was even a building. Instead, there was a wide open meadow where horses roamed about freely.
“So this is where the horses we rode came from?”
“Yep.”
“You’re not scared of them running off?”
“Why would we? A Yavdenhevonen doesn’t wander off, and if it does, it generally comes back after a few days.”
Unlike Roman horses. The Mexica stole some of our horses during the Sunset Invasion, they broke free, and now they’re roaming the Great Plains.
“What about feeding them? Wouldn’t it be easier to, I don’t know, find a gas station?”
“If we ignore the obvious environmental issues, gasoline shipments throughout Yavdi and Turkestan were cut off as soon as the war began, and the stations are most likely either closed or destroyed. On the other hand, a Yavdenhevonen is bred to be very hardy. All they need is some grass and water. They may only need to drink once a day.”
“But the snow?”
“They can just drink the snow and then eat the grass underneath.”
Convenient. But I’m concerned about the fallout in the snow now…
“No wonder Genghis Khan easily conquered as much as he did.”
“The Yavdenhevonen breed is descended from his horses. So you won’t have to worry too much about taking care of it; it’ll take care of itself. It’ll even bathe itself if it can. Not an excuse to neglect it though.”
Is it really that convenient? I suppose it is if you’re living on the steppes dreaming of world domination, but in a city?
“So…um…what do you need to do?”
“Uh…learn how to treat its wounds and illnesses and stuff.”
I’m a princess, not a doctor! I studied all sorts of things in college, like way too many things. Some of them because they wanted me to study them. They really convinced Dad to pay for all that, even if I didn’t want him to. And then after Dad died, they turned to Franz, instead of just asking me…
“What, you don’t have a vet here?”
“We may be able to afford a human doctor, but not him and a vet at the same time. And traditionally, most Yavdian horse riders don’t hire vets. We just do it ourselves.”
“That might take time I don’t have. I don’t think I can spend a few weeks effectively becoming a horse vet. Especially during a war for the fate of the world.”
I’m a princess, not a horse doctor! Or as Franz would say: behold your new Kaiserin, a horse doctor!
“Yeah, I don’t expect you to do so. We’re very pressed for time. Don’t worry, I know the basics. As soon as Izinchi gets better, we have to go. Anyways, let’s choose your horse.”
What, like a starter Pokemon? WHERE’S MY MUDKIP?!
“I thought they’d pick one for me, like when they sent people to the bunker.”
“No, it would be more appropriate if you chose your own horse. Now, why don’t you pick one?”
Wilhelmina walked into the middle of the herd. Some of the horses stared at her. Others moved out of the way. And most simply ignored her, returning to eating grass or drinking water from a nearby creek. There were a mix of colors—black, chestnut, gray, and so on—as well as sizes and builds—ranging from the fat “grass in their belly” ones to the lean “water in their belly” ones.
“Don’t worry. Even if the horse seems a little distrustful, it’ll come around to be honest, sincere, and eager to cooperate.”
Out of the sea of black, chestnut, gray, and other regular colors, Wilhelmina caught a glimpse of white. She walked to the far side of the herd and saw a beautiful white mare. It wasn’t the biggest or smallest horse in the herd, but it was the only one with a white color. As Wilhelmina approached, the horse raised her head and stared at her. Unlike the other horses, who only looked at Wilhelmina with curiosity or indifference, this one growled and looked at her with defiance in her eyes.
Whoa! That’s a little scary. But also familiar. It’s like when I stood up to Elias. There’s something about this horse…
“I see you’ve met our resident troublemaker,” someone said.
A young villager, apparently in his twenties, walked over. He appeared to be a shepherd. The traditional kind, not Elias’ twisted reinterpretation of them.
“Sain uu,” Wilhelmina said, “So, are you the shepherd here?”
“Yeah, when the village militia is off-duty. I’m Gulichi Juha, ma’am.”
“Like all men and women in this village, Gulichi here has been training on horseback from the age of two. But he’s continued his training as part of the local militia.”
“Part of that training includes looking after horses. Though this particular horse has caused me a lot of pain for three years.”
How can one horse be so annoying for three years?
“Does she have a name?”
“We don’t typically give our horses names like humans. We identify them by color, marking, scars, and brands. This particular one is known as ‘the troublesome white horse’.”
“What a mouthful.”
“And that’s one of the shorter names we have. I seem to recall a race during Naadam where one of the horses was known as ‘the gray horse with the black stripe on its back, a scar running down its left side, and a lightning brand’.”
How do you all remember these ridiculously long names?
“In the centuries we have been raising horses in this village, we have never once recorded a white horse. And we’ve never had a horse as unruly as her.”
This just screams ‘prophecy that kicks off the plot of a 60 hour CRPG which results in killing at least one god’.
“What’s she like?”
“Refuses to be ridden, for starters. Anytime someone tries to ride her, she kicks and bucks almost tramples them under her hooves. Attempts to bite our hands when we feed her. She’s a feisty one.”
“We should find you a much more agreeable horse. Would be very awkward if our heir to the throne got into a hunting accident or something due to this horse.”
Wilhelmina didn’t move, though. She continued watching the troublesome white horse. The troublesome white horse warily watched her back. Wilhelmina heard the horse grunting and breathing heavily, as if impatient. Slowly, she approached, reaching out a hand. Her caution gave way as the troublesome white horse didn’t do as Gulichi warned. No biting or kicking as she feared. Soon, her hand rested against the horse’s head. The horse neighed in response but didn’t move away. She felt the horse’s mane under her hand. It was very soft. Suddenly, a memory bubbled up from the back of her mind. All this felt very familiar to her.
Outside Berlin - 1988
Six-year-old Wilhelmina sat in the bleachers, watching Elisabeth Alexandra ride around the track on her horse. She always looked so majestic on horseback, with her blond hair tied in a ponytail billowing out behind her. After one lap, Elisabeth Alexandra stopped and dismounted in front of her.
“See? Just like that.”
Wow, Mommy’s so cool!
“Mommy, you make it look so easy.”
“I’m just applying what I learned. With enough practice, you can be just like me.”
“Can I go to the Olympics like you did?”
“If you practice enough. Come on, Wombat, come over.”
Wilhelmina slowly approached her mother and her horse. The horse lightly stomped the ground and neighed again.
Scary!
“Don’t be scared.”
“I can’t get on the horses though.”
She’s so big.
“If you still can’t, let’s back up a little bit, then. First, just try touching the horse.”
“Why?”
“Because if you can’t connect with your horse, you can’t ride it. Because you have to know your horse before all else.”
“Why?”
“When riding, it’s not only about the rider, but the horse. How it behaves, how it feels, how it acts. If you understand your horse, it will understand you in return. Touch the horse, Wombat.”
“What if she bites me?”
“Don’t worry, she won’t bite. She may seem scary at first, but deep down, she’s really nice. Despite what others think of her, she’s not that bad. All she wants is to be your friend.”
Wilhelmina slowly reached out and patted the horse’s side.
Soft and fluffy. Like my plushies!
“See? It’s okay.”
The horse neighed softly.
“Next, put your foot in the stirrup and climb on.”
“But I’m so small!”
“You can do it, Willie. The first step was the most important. You can do the second. I know you can do it.”
Wilhelmina turned and put herself in front of the saddle. She took a deep breath. Her left foot raised up and settled into the left stirrup. She stepped up and lunged out for the handles, but her tiny hands missed, and she fell back.
Nonononononono!
She panicked, flailing her arms backward, but fortunately she didn’t fall down. Her glasses slid down her nose.
“It’s okay if you fail. As long as you get back up and try again.”
Wilhelmina nodded and adjusted her glasses. She again put her left foot in the stirrup and pushed herself up. This time, her hands caught the side of the saddle, and she swung her right leg over, plopping herself right onto the saddle.
“I did it!”
Everything looks so different from up here.
“Good job, Willie!” Elisabeth Alexandra said, beaming with pride. “That’s my girl!”
I can do anything!
“I’m going to ride around the track now!”
“Take it slowly, though. Don’t go too fast.”
Wilhelmina picked up the reins, but the horse began moving on her own. Despite Wilhelmina pulling hard, the horse only continued speeding up, running all over the field and barely keeping to the track itself.
AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!
“Slow down! Slow down! Mommy!”
Elisabeth Alexandra whistled loudly, and the horse immediately reacted. She slowed down and came to a halt.
“That was scary!”
“Sorry. She sometimes acts like that. But she can be made to listen to you.”
“How do you stop her?”
“By whistling. As I did.”
Wilhelmina put her tiny hands to her mouth and tried whistling, but all she could do was blow air.
“Don’t worry, we can practice later. In the meantime, you can use her name. She will answer to her name.”
“What’s her name?”
Takomaan - 2038
Wilhelmina patted the troublesome white horse’s head. The horse quietly growled back but otherwise stayed put. She bared her teeth at her.
I’m not scared. Not anymore.
“She won’t bite,” she told herself, “She may seem scary at first, but deep down, she’s probably really nice. She’s just looking for someone to be her friend.”
The troublesome white horse’s growls subsided, though Wilhelmina could still hear her heavy breathing.
I have to work more to earn her trust.
“Not only about the rider, but the horse. If you understand your horse, she will understand you in return. How are you feeling?”
As if in response, the horse neighed.
It sounded like she’s…sad?
“You must not like how you were treated. Being the only white horse in the herd, they must have thought you were special. They put high expectations on you, didn’t they?”
The horse simply neighed back.
I don’t think you’re saying anything. You’re a horse, after all.
“I can understand that. Growing up, I always had high expectations. Everyone expected me to be just like my mother. They pushed me down the path she took just because I was her daughter, not stopping to think of what I wanted. They did the same for you too, didn’t they?”
They horse neighed again.
“We’re just some washed-up ex-princesses in the middle of nowhere, really. Given too many expectations and made to be people we weren’t. But why don’t we just be ourselves? Be who we are? To hell with expectations. It’s time we choose who we want to be, not who everyone else thinks we are.”
The horse looked straight into Wilhelmina’s eyes again, but this time, Wilhelmina didn’t see any defiance or anger. The horse bowed her head, as if in agreement. Now came the next step. Although there was no saddle on her back, she wasn’t deterred. Standing at the horse’s side, she jumped up, swung her right leg over, and sat on the horse’s back.
Got it. Finally. First try.
The horse immediately bolted off, taking Wilhelmina with her. Samir and Gulichi ran after her, with Samir grabbing a lasso and Gulichi shouting something in Mongolian, but Wilhelmina clung on to the horse.
Steady…steady…come on…
She put a hand to her mouth and whistled, just as her mother taught her fifty years ago. As if on cue, the horse stopped in her tracks.
“That’s my girl.” Wilhelmina patted the horse’s mane.
After another minute, Samir and Gulichi caught up to her.
“Wilhelmina! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“I…how?” Gulichi was flabbergasted. “How did you do it?”
“Do what?”
“How did you tame the troublesome white horse? Almost everybody in the village tried, but she never cooperated.”
“Well…I just remembered something my mother taught me. Also, I think I should give her a name. ‘The troublesome white horse’ is too long.”
“Got anything in mind?”
“Already have a name,” Wilhelmina said, “From my mom’s horse, which was named after her mom’s horse.”
She looked at the horse again. “I think I’ll name you…Heidi.”
Heidi neighed, as if she liked her new name. Wilhelmina smiled. “Thanks, Mom.”
---
Wow, that's post 7000.
- 3