Mabey the blue and white stripe flag could be for those members of the opposition in favor of a more liberal democracy and the one with the star could be for those that are in favor of equalism?
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Looking back on Chapter 432, you're right. I completely forgot about the equalist flag's existence. That might still be used by fringe far left groups. The general mainstream opposition factions prefer the republican flag, including groups that aren't necessarily against the monarchy. The blue-white-blue tricolor is nowadays generally associated with the independence movement and pro-democracy groups than any specific government type. The nationalist regime will probably do the same thing Han did to his opposition groups, calling them foreign-funded traitors and saboteurs intent on destroying Chinese civilization.
Also, it's kind of funny how the chapters you linked were posted almost exactly 5 years ago, give or take 1-2 days.
Yes, I like that. The tricolor is for the mainstream opposition groups, while the star one is for the far left.
Sodom and Gomorrah
Basra - February 4
“Johansen was thankfully unharmed,” Theodor said, “He sustained no injuries in the incident. We’ve already dealt with any potential witnesses.”
Elias absentmindedly spun his knife in his hand. It was something he had done often on the streets to calm his nerves and show off to his friends. They were all gone now, but the knife trick lived on.
“We ran a diagnosis on his Panopticon, but as far as I can tell, it was a one-off glitch,” Theodor said, “I can’t replicate it, but it shouldn’t be an issue.”
Elias tapped the point of the knife against the table.
“Elias? You have anything to say?”
You’re. Interrupting. Me. He looked up. “You’re telling me nothing has changed.”
Theodor nodded. “Yes, we are still on track for Operation Gaugamela.”
“Then you’re just wasting my time.” That’s what he always does, waste my time. Keep me away from my important work.
“We are glad to hear the experimental weapons program is still on track,” Moria said, “Still, we are not without our concerns.”
“Yes, the Mesopotamian front is worrying,” Josiah said.
Both Josiah and Moria were still in Berlin and speaking via video conferencing. Or rather whatever pitiful software that Theodor passed off as video conferencing. It’s trash. The connection is barely usable.
“I assure you, General Remmele has a plan to deal with it,” Theodor said.
“You mean repurposing Operation Gaugamela?” Josiah scoffed. “We spent all that money moving that many troops—including almost all of our volunteers and conscripts—to Mesopotamia for the sole purpose of crushing Persia for good, and you want to use them for damage control?”
“I agree,” Moria said, “Operation Gaugamela was never designed for this. You would only throw away our men for no reason. Like you’ve done in Samarkand.”
“Samarkand was a test of remote control capabilities,” Theodor said, “I believe remote control is the future of warfare. We won't have to worry about dissent and insubordination with remote control. Our generals will have full tactical and strategic control on the battlefield.”
“It also led to the complete destruction of at least three divisions, the loss of Bukhara, and created an opportunity for the enemy to encircle our forces on the Chinese border,” Elias said, “If it was a test, it was a badly designed one.”
“I thought you approved of the test. You even used remote control yourself.”
“I did, but it doesn’t mean I approve of how you ended the test. Those men died for nothing. Pawns in your stupid scheme, not martyrs of God.” They were sacrificed for a pointless reason…just like my friends were.
“Would you rather they surrender like cowards?”
“I hate cowards, but I hate pointless deaths more.” Elias tightly gripped his knife and pointed it at Theodor. “And I hate those who cause pointless deaths most of all.”
Theodor winced. Yeah, you should be scared. “On the subject of experimental weapons, how goes the deployment of Pesah?”
“It has gone well so far,” Moria said, “Our Shepherds report a hundred confirmed deaths across the Gulf regions, and possibly a thousand unconfirmed cases. The Eimerican authorities haven’t caught on yet.”
Good…good…my friends, you will soon be avenged. Tenfold.
“That is good to hear,” Elias said, “I believe the test run is a success.”
Theodor’s eyes widened, and he spun around. “The…test run?”
Elias shrugged. “What about it? You had no trouble with your test run in Samarkand.”
“It’s just that…you never described it as a test run before.”
“Well, it is now.”
“What was all that about pointless deaths a minute ago?”
Elias narrowed his eyes. “Those deaths weren’t pointless. The Eimericans who died are our enemies, and not only will they serve us and God by dying and going to Hell, but they also test Pesah’s effectiveness. What’s the point of Pesah if we don’t use it? We have plans ready to go.”
“You…you don’t mean…”
“Yes.” Elias smiled. “It is time to move on to full deployment.”
“I thought this was full deployment! Those plans were merely hypotheticals!”
“Plans change, Theodor,” Moria said, “This is a war. We must adapt.”
“I say we execute our plan to deploy Pesah in Eurasia,” Elias said, “The one with three targets. Afghanistan, to collapse the Chinese presence there. Turkestan, to avenge Samarkand and make up for our dear Theodor’s mistake. Finally, India. It has been a thorn in our side for far too long. It’s time to neutralize it. Permanently.”
“You can’t be serious,” Theodor said, “Millions of people live in those countries. They live on the same landmass as us. We don’t know how far and fast Pesah will spread.”
“Since when did you care, Theodor?” Elias said.
“Boo-hoo, did Theodor Tesla suddenly become a woke snowflake?” Josiah mocked. “Is he going to cancel us?”
“I…no…you see…my profits…” Theodor spluttered, but he couldn’t continue.
“Pathetic,” Elias spat, “You always made sure to look smart and brave to our subjects, but deep down, you’re just a coward. A really frakking dumb coward.”
“If I may, Elias,” Josiah said, “His objection does raise a legitimate issue.”
“What is it?”
“Why don’t we hit Persia as well? After all, they’re the leaders of the resistance. They sent the invasion force. And the ex-princess is there—”
Elias cut him off with a wave of his knife-holding hand. “You answered your own question, Josiah. The ex-princess is there. I will deal with her myself, as part of Operation Gaugamela. When we march into Isfahan and put it to the torch, I will be the one to put a bullet between her eyes and wipe the Hohenzollern taint off the face of the planet. I will not have her die to some virus before I can do that.”
“Josiah, I suppose Persia will just shoot down any Pesah warheads we send their way as well,” Moria said, “Best to hit targets that can’t retaliate.”
“I understand,” Josiah said.
“Anyways, let’s vote,” Elias said, “All in favor?”
He, Josiah, and Moria raised their hands.
“The proposal passes. The use of Pesah in Asia has been approved.” Elias grinned madly. “Now let’s give these barbarians what they deserve. Execute Plan Sodom and Gomorrah.”
Indian Ocean - February 5, early morning
“Execute Plan Sodom and Gomorrah.”
The automated message came suddenly to the submarine’s communications officer. He hadn’t expected any transmissions today, so he was startled when text appeared on his computer screen. The officer did a double take. Did it really say that? He immediately called the captain over.
“Sir, I just received an order to execute Plan Sodom and Gomorrah.”
The captain stared at the screen. “Authentication codes match up…but Sodom and Gomorrah? Now?”
“We do have the warheads, right?”
The captain nodded. “Aye. And so do the other subs.”
“So what do we do?” The officer was nervous. He looked to the captain for guidance.
The captain took off his hat and solemnly nodded. “We have our orders.”
“Aye, sir.” The officer switched on the intercom. “Attention, all hands, battle stations, repeat, all hands, battle stations. Prepare to execute Plan Sodom and Gomorrah. Repeat, prepare to execute Plan Sodom and Gomorrah. God bless us all.”
He started hearing footsteps banging against metal plates as the crew rushed to battle stations. Next, he heard large objects being loaded into launch tubes by automated mechanisms, followed by beeps and alarms going off. He looked at the bridge, where the captain and his executive officer stood at the launch panel.
“Ready?” the captain said.
“Sir, permission to speak freely,” the XO said.
“Permission granted.”
“I’m not ready.” The XO steeled himself. “But if it’s what God and His Regents want, I will carry out my orders.”
“Thank you. Now, insert the keys.”
The two of them inserted their keys and turned at the same time. A red button lit up.
“Warheads armed and ready for launch.”
“Targets acquired: Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru.” The other subs would have their own targets, at least four of them.
“Ready to fire on your command.”
The captain nodded. “So it is. Fire.”
He pushed the button, and the communications officer heard the roaring of missiles punching through water before breaching the surface, igniting their thrusters with a loud hiss and boom, and rocketing away into the sky.
God save us all.
Jaipur - afternoon
“Execute Plan Sodom and Gomorrah.”
With the sun behind him, the lieutenant savored the adrenaline rushing through his veins as his fighter jet zipped over the skies of northern India. It was the latest model, featuring state of the art weapons and engines that made him more than a match for an entire Indian squadron. That wasn’t considering the drone escort he brought with him. His jet’s main computer controlled four aerial drones and could direct them to fulfill various tasks from bombing to fighting enemy aircraft. He didn’t pay much attention to them. They always hung back and handled secondary objectives, allowing him to focus on his work.
“Execute Plan Sodom and Gomorrah.”
That order lingered in his mind, though it had been hours since he received it at base and equipped his plane accordingly. Up until then, he had barely heard of that plan. As far as he knew, it was a contingency plan in case the current troops in India failed to do their job. So if the plan was being executed now, were those troops not doing their jobs? What would happen to them? Had they even been evacuated from the targeted areas yet? He pushed the doubt out of his mind. He was a soldier of God. There was no room for doubt. He had to have faith.
Thou shall not doubt.
“Approaching target,” the plane computer announced, “ETA one minute. Beginning descent.”
The plane automatically descended below the clouds, revealing Jaipur in all of its barbarian glory. India’s tenth largest city was nothing like the modern metropolises of Mumbai and Delhi. Instead, it was a sprawling mass of mid-20th century buildings and ancient palaces and temples, almost all of them painted pink. Seeing that much effeminate pink made the lieutenant sick.
“Computer, disengage autopilot.”
“Affirmative. Autopilot disengaged. Manual control restored.”
The lieutenant firmly grabbed the control stick and further guided the plane down himself. As he approached, he heard air raid sirens go off below. Cars on the streets screeched to a halt, and their passengers scrambled into nearby buildings for safety. Soldiers climbed onto rooftops and pulled off tarps, revealing hidden anti-aircraft guns. Soon, lead and tracers filled the sky, but the lieutenant easily dodged them with help from his computer, while the drones fired back against the guns with powerful and precise lasers.
“All units, engage,” he radioed.
A dozen more jets, all proudly bearing the purple Jerusalem cross on their wings, pierced through the gray clouds and swooped down on Jaipur like eagles descending on prey. They fell into formation behind the lieutenant.
“Ready on my mark.”
“We’re ready.”
“Ready.”
“Affirmative.”
“Let’s send these liberal fascist equalist barbarians to hell!”
“The Rasas’ crimes against humanity will be avenged, with interest!”
“No more being let off the hook by the party cartel!”
“Deus vult.”
The rest of the squadron affirmed their readiness as well. As the enemy’s aim became more accurate, the lieutenant’s computer locked onto its target, a densely populated neighborhood.
“Fire!” the lieutenant pulled the trigger.
Three missiles—one thermobaric, one nerve gas, and one Pesah—streaked away from his jet. The thermobaric missile struck dead in the center of the neighborhood, instantly incinerating several blocks. The nerve gas missile hit on the edge of the explosion and covered several more blocks in a large cloud of purple gas, while the Pesah missile, flying low over intact blocks, sprayed its own cloud of purple gas in its wake before exploding in a house and creating another cloud. His drones fired off smaller but not less lethal rockets of their own. More trails of smoke shot forth from the other jets and drones in his squadron, and explosions of varying colors blossomed like flowers all across Jaipur.
“Direct hit!” the lieutenant yelled exuberantly.
He leaned back in his seat, feeling the adrenaline coursing his head again. He looked down at his destroyed targets, seeing only gas-covered pink ruins left in his wake. Occasionally, he saw a couple tiny figures fleeing and trying to help each other, but he knew their days were numbered. Or rather minutes.
“Good work, squad. Target has been neutralized. Return to base.”
They rapidly ascended back above the clouds, leaving the survivors of Jaipur to their fate at the hands of the next wave.
Outside Indore - evening
“Execute Plan Sodom and Gomorrah.”
The sun started to dip below the horizon. Although natural light rapidly faded, the young private’s surroundings were still brightly illuminated by the flashes of light coming from the city, so his Panopticon did not need to adjust lighting or switch to night vision mode. He snuck a look behind him and beheld the razing of Indore several miles away. At first, the city had resisted like any other, its defenders filling the sky with flak screens and anti-aircraft gunfire. But then Jerusalem’s bombers and fighters descended beneath the clouds, like the heavenly host descending to Earth to execute God’s will. The fighters and their drone escorts easily took out the outnumbered and hastily armed Indian fighter jets scrambled to intercept them. With their path clear, the bombers released their payloads. Thousands of high-power thermobaric, napalm, and chemical bombs fell unimpeded over the next seven minutes, each explosion billowing up before the previous ones had even dissipated. Soon, the anti-aircraft fire dwindled before succumbing entirely to the intensifying inferno, which grew to engulf all of downtown without further assistance from above. If he stopped and focused his hearing on the city, he could just make out the screams of thousands of Indians as they were crushed, burned, or gassed.
“Private, continue marching!” the colonel shouted.
The private turned back and continued walking down the road. After a few minutes, a sign indicated they were near a village.
“Approaching the target.” The colonel motioned to his left and right. “Take your positions and move in on my signal.”
The squad fanned out to the left and right, quickly surrounding the village. The private followed the instructions displayed through his Panopticon, which directed him to his position. It next zoomed in on the village. He saw people loading valuables and children into cars, elders trying to calm panicked crowds, and a handful of Indian soldiers on their phones, no doubt trying to contact loved ones in Indore. The Panopticon outlined them all in red. A message appeared in his line of sight: “Targets acquired.”
He heard the colonel’s voice again. “This is the colonel speaking. On my signal, move in and execute the Plan. There will be no regulations or restrictions in place unless I say so. Godspeed.”
The private nodded. “Understood.”
“Copy that.”
“Sure thing, will do.”
“I’ve been waiting for this!”
“This is where the fun begins!”
“This is where the fun begins!”
“This is where the fun begins!”
“3…2…1…now!”
The private charged in, backed up by four more Crusaders. Approaching the nearest crowd, he immediately opened fire, his first several bullets shredding the elder’s head. The other four Crusaders quickly cut down the rest of the crowd. The soldiers dropped their phones and picked up their guns, but another group of Crusaders surrounded them and riddled them with dozens of bullets. The private heard the screeching of tires and spun around, seeing the cars speeding away down the road. He raised his rifle and shot at them. Several bullets punctured the tires on one car, causing it to skid off the road and crash into a house, where another group of Crusaders promptly executed everyone inside without hesitation. However, the private couldn’t hit the speeding van, and he could only watch it speed away as fast as it could…until machine gunfire rang out, and suddenly its windows shattered. Several black objects swarmed around it, easily keeping up. Some of the Hellhounds grabbed onto the bumpers and doors before climbing in through the broken windows. Shots rang out, accompanied by the whirring of power saws. Then the private heard screaming, coming from people of all ages, before they were all abruptly cut off by more gunshots and the visceral sound of saws tearing through flesh and bone. The van flipped over and crashed into a ditch.
Afterward, the private continued from door to door, inspecting each building for any hidden survivors. There were a few. The adults charged at him with various household items, like kitchen knives and brooms. They were easily dealt with. Checking some of the basements, he found children and elders. They always begged for mercy. He obliged by gunning them down without another moment to waste. The liquidations took half an hour in total. Once he had run out of targets, he regrouped at the designated rendezvous point.
“Sir, liquidation of the outer buildings has been completed.” He saluted respectfully to his superior. “Awaiting new orders.”
“Your orders are to stand by and wait for everyone to regroup, so we can continue on to chemical salting. We are about done with liquidations. Good work.”
The private felt nothing but pride and accomplishment.
Delhi - night
The bunker constantly rumbled, each explosion growing closer and closer. Their remaining guards had gone up to the surface to help the defenders, leaving only Jayasimha, Lakshmi, and a few others inside.
“Make it stop,” Lakshmi said, “Please…”
“I’m trying,” Jayasimha said.
An explosion detonated almost directly above them, and the bunker violently shook. Dust and even a few small pieces of rubble fell from the ceiling.
“Vishnu preserve us,” Jayasimha muttered.
When will this madness stop? When I reincarnate into my next life? Or will it follow me even there?
The explosions continued, each one growing in intensity. By the fifth explosion, the shaking got so violent that Jayasimha thought his wheelchair would fall over, and he spent all of his efforts trying to shield Lakshmi from any falling debris. Then, all of a sudden, the next explosion hit further away. And then the next one was even further away. The shaking subsided to relatively safer levels.
“Is it…is it over?” Lakshmi said.
Suddenly, the ceiling outside Jayasimha’s office collapsed. Or rather, it was more like it melted off into a heap of slag. The heat and toxic gases emitted immediately made Jayasimha push Lakshmi away.
“Cover your mouth!” he said.
Lakshmi did as she was told. With one hand she covered her mouth, and with the other she pushed Jayasimha’s wheelchair out of the room and away from the slag. They didn’t get much rest before that room’s ceiling also melted off, the intense heat immediately assaulting Jayasimha.
Frak, that hurts! It burns, and I’m not even close to it! What is this thing?!
Jayasimha didn’t know it, but it was a chemical agent known as chlorine trifluoride. It was extremely reactive, corrosive, and combustive against most organic and inorganic materials, making it the perfect incendiary weapon for Jerusalem. Although the palace bunker was deep underground, copious use of chlorine triflouride was able to burrow all the way down to its level and then melt through several feet of thick reinforced blast-proof concrete.
Lakshmi pushed Jayasimha into another room, but another salvo of chlorine trifluoride took out half the room. They went through the doorway into a wheelchair-accessible stairwell. Jayasimha thought they should be safe if they descended to the lower levels. He thought wrong, because he couldn’t get that far. Half a flight down, a conventional explosion rocked the bunker again, dislodging the entire ceiling above him. As large pieces of rubble fell, Jayasimha felt strength in his legs for the first time in many years. Adrenaline coursing through his veins, he pushed himself off his wheelchair to tackle Lakshmi. She stumbled back just as the rubble slammed into Jayasimha. He painfully felt his bones breaking with loud crunches as he was pinned to the floor, his teeth biting into the concrete steps. But Lakshmi was safe.
“Grandpa!” Lakshmi said.
No…it’s no use…
“Stay away!” Jayasimha said. “The place is unstable! You need to get to the other stairwell!”
“But you’re…”
“Don’t worry about me!” Jayasimha shook his head. “I’ll find a way out, but you need to survive! For India’s sake!”
Before Lakshmi could respond, though, the stairwell exploded. Lakshmi screamed just as several pieces of rubble slammed into her. More rubble fell on Jayasimha, pinning him down even further.
“Lakshmi!” he screamed out.
But there was no answer. He tried moving his head to get a better angle, but the rubble prevented him from seeing much. All could feel as all of his senses faded was the searing pain of his broken bones and immobilized body, the heat and fumes from nearby chlorine trifluoride, and distant voices getting closer.
So…this is…the end…sorry, Willie…guess I’m going on ahead…maybe in my next life, I’ll be better off…
Isfahan - February 5, midnight
“How bad is it?” Wilhelmina said.
The war room was silent. Nobody could figure out how to answer her. Not even Gunduz. Even she looked completely terrified by all of the data coming from India. What they received was truly terrifying. She didn’t even know how to process what she had just witnessed. For that matter, nobody else could.
“My…God…” she finally said.
“Those monsters,” Gunduz said, “How…how could they?”
“It’s like Korea, but worse,” Shayan said.
He didn’t have to point or nod at the paper map of India they put on the table, as Wilhelmina’s eyes had already wandered to it on account of almost 85% of the country being marked deep blood red.
Gebhard clenched his fists. “They…they…”
Wilhelmina turned away and faced a corner. I can’t take this. I really can’t. The inhumanity just keeps getting worse, no matter what I do.
“I…I…” WIlhelmina said.
“It’s okay, Willie,” Gunduz said, “You don’t have to speak if you don’t want to.”
“It’s just…”
Gunduz raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”
Wilhelmina bowed her head. “This complicates things. Changes everything.”
“How?” Shayan said.
“I fear this war has just entered a new phase,” Wilhelmina said, “One far more dangerous and destructive than anything we’ve seen before. If they’re doing this today…I’m scared of what they might do next.”
Berlin - morning
Heinrich drove into the military base. As usual, there was a checkpoint that stopped him first. A Crusader approached his car. “Papers, please.”
Heinrich flashed his committee papers. “Official committee business.”
The Crusader checked the papers. “Sir, I wasn’t informed you’d be visiting today. Usually it would be scheduled in advance.”
“This is an urgent matter,” Heinrich said, “So forgive me for not being able to schedule it in advance. Believe me, kid, I would have done it.”
“I’m not sure if I can let you in without an appointment.”
Heinrich didn’t want to waste anymore time. “Do you want me to report you to your commanding officer? Because if I get turned around for some bureaucratic nonsense that should have been consigned to the dustbin of history with the party cartel, you’ll be the next thing consigned to the dustbin.” Got to at least act the part.
“Okay, okay, then!” the Crusader nervously handed back the papers and ran to his booth to open the gate. “Just go! Don’t get me fired, please!”
Heinrich drove in and parked in front of the commander’s office. He straightened his uniform and walked inside, striding across the lobby as fast as he could. He was on a mission today, and he would not be denied.
A secretary attempted to stop him. “Sir, the commander is currently busy, so if you wouldn’t mind—”
Heinrich ignored him and continued. I have to get this ready. Everything must be in position. No time to waste. I let India die on my watch, due to my inaction. That’s something I can’t make up for. But I have to stop other countries from suffering the same fate.
He barged into the commander’s office, easily forcing open the doors with his hands. The commander, a small man wearing an oversized uniform, immediately shot to his feet and saluted. “Sir!”
“At ease,” Heinrich said.
The commander relaxed and sat down. “General Dandolo. I wasn’t informed you’d be visiting today. To what may I owe the pleasure of this unannounced meeting?”
“Yeah, about that…” Heinrich said. “I’m taking direct control of the Berlin garrison. Effective immediately.”
The general looked puzzled. “I’m sorry? Direct control of my troops?”
“Yes, yes, I’m terribly sorry for your inconvenience,” Heinrich said, “But as Megas Domestikos, I’ve decided it would be best if I personally saw to the capital’s defenses. In light of the developments in the east, we need the best of the best in defense of the capital of Christendom.”
“Sir, I think I’m more than capable of defending Berlin. And hasn’t von Haynau routed Konstantinov’s forces recently?”
Heinrich nodded. “Yes, he has, but the threat remains. I am aware of your qualifications, commander, but I sincerely think your talents are wasted on the garrison. I’ve looked over your past record. Service in Mexico, Malaya, East Africa, India. Exemplary record. Even won a few medals. Your talents are wasted on garrison duty. So I thought I would get you a field command.”
The commander’s eyes widened. “Me? A field command? After four years?”
“Yes, it’s about time you returned to the battlefield,” Heinrich said, “I’ve done all of the paperwork already. You ship out to Neurhomania tomorrow.”
“This is a dream come true, thank God Almighty!” the commander beamed and shook Heinrich’s hand. “He really does work in mysterious ways. Thank you, sir! You are proof that miracles do happen!”
“God rewards the faithful, after all,” Heinrich said, “Well, that’s is all. I’ll be taking my leave now. Make me proud, son.”
“I will, sir!” the commander said. “I’ll work with Ludendorff and destroy the Eimerican Federation, just you watch!”
Heinrich returned to his car and drove away. As soon as he was clear of the base, he started laughing.
The look on the guy’s face! Priceless. Small price to pay speaking like the committee and spewing all of that nonsense, but at least it worked. Fortunately this garrison commander is both receptive to flattery and desperate for glory. I may have exaggerated his service record a bit, too. He’s, shall I say, not the best commander. He’ll probably be dead in a week from where I assigned him. But now I have the garrison under my command. I’ll need time to ensure it’s entirely loyal to me. Then, after that…I just have to wait for the right moment.
---
Pink was considered a masculine color in the early 20th century.
- 2
At first when I saw that the old title was I was like "hear comes the two steps back" part of the equation but after I saw the new title and knowing the Biblical story behind the name I was like yep things can't go well.
I feel like Theodor's days are numbered. If he is killed can Elias at least be so kind to send his severed head to Thea?“
Once again the Committee continues to horrify me of the the scale that they are willing to go to. However I remember you saying that Chapter: 466 will go more into detail about how bad the Committee's situation really is if they are already relying on Child Soldiers and Drones. This makes me think that this is the Committee's way of saying "If were going down. At least you all are going down with us.".
At first I was thinking how will you show the fall of Korea and India in the game and then I though that maybe they could be ruled directly by the UN in a similar way to OTL's United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia in were the UN after the Khmer Rouge fell directly ran the country until things could normalize?
United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia - Wikipedia
Hopefully this goes better than OTL's Operation Valkyrie did.
Lastly the final flag suggestion that I would make would be for Tawantinsuyu since the EU4 flag does not make much since in the context of a modern nation. I looked online for some suggestions if you do not want to make one completely from scratch and found two.
The first one is one of the proposed flags of Peru which looks like the Argentine flag but is red-white-red with the Incan Sun God Inti in the center with another design being the same but the stripes were vertical.
The third design (And I like this one the most.) is the flag of the Republic of South Peru when it was a part of the Peru–Bolivian Confederation from 1836-1839. It has a red vertical stripe on the left with two horizontal stripes with green at the top and white at the bottom. In the red part there ae four stars on top of a image of the God Inti.
Republic of South Peru - Wikipedia
If you decide to use the South Peru flag for Tawantinsuyu the meaning for TTL could be this. The four stars could represent the four Suyu and the image of Inti could represent the power of the monarchy. The reason that the four stars are above Inti could be that after Constitutional Monarchy was restored the four Suyu gained more autonomy from the crown. The red could stand for those that died for the empire and the white could be the nations desire for peace (I am unsure what the green could be. Mabey it's abundance in agriculture)?
The EU4 flag could be a type of Royal Banner?
Once again, the committee misses the main point of another Biblical story (in this case, don’t be a jerk to your guests) and twists it around to justify horrendous war crimes and genocide.
That implies Elias cares enough to both do that and know where Thea’s address is to do it.
While it does have a section dedicated to what just happened in India, Chapter 466 will also talk about the Crusader response to the Persian invasion (as well as the Persian response to that), and believe me, it gets way worse, and not just on the Crusader side. I was unable to fit in a story chapter about it in this batch, but it will be the first one in the next one.
I wrote gameplay events (“Operation Keyboard Crusade” and “Operation Sodom and Gomorrah”) and scripted them to fire during my sessions, so they have already/will show up as gameplay screenshots although the descriptions are outdated. As for the UN thing, I’ll mark that down for future research. Don’t have much else to say on it at the moment.
Hmmmmm
Now that you mention it, I realized the UPM’s flag doesn’t exactly fit it, as I gave it the vanilla Victoria 2 flag for the Federal Republic of Central America (I don’t think it’s the exact design, though, as the vanilla monarchist variant adds some details). I’ll definitely need to rework it to fit its new history here.
As for Tawantinsuyu, I’ll discuss it more below.
I would rather not use historical Peruvian flags because the red on most of the designs symbolizes the blood shed in Peru’s war of independence.
I do agree the golden sun/Inti motif needs to show up on the flag.
The Sapa Inca has their own emblem, though, and would likely use that to represent the monarchy, while the golden sun would represent the state religion and priesthood though it can also be a secular symbol.
Here are reconstructions of the emblems representing Sapa Inca by the Inca Empire and the Neo-Inca rump state in Vilcabamba that persisted for 35 years after the Spanish conquered the main empire:
I imagine these emblems would be prominent in authoritarian/nationalist regimes like the fascist dictatorship and postwar right-wing regimes. The golden sun is used for democratic/meritocratic regimes.
I think the EU4 and Victoria 2 flags both came from the 1820 proposed flag for Peru:
This was directly used by the fascist regime during HOI3 and the nationalist regime earlier in NWO. But the EU4, Victoria 2, and NWO flags use a simplified sun (as seen in Chapter 456—as a side note, it’s really only been 10 numbered chapters since then?!). Since it’s still very similar to this design, I’d be okay with just pretending it’s using this design even though in-game it’s technically using another. The HOI3/NWO nationalist design throws a wrench in this interpretation, though.
I’m still up for a redesign. While I was doing research for this response, I looked for anything that could be used as a Tawantinsuyuan flag, only to find a lot of confusion and academic debate. My original idea was to use this:
I remember seeing this as an Incan flag in various PDX mods in EU4, Victoria 2, and HOI4, particularly Kaiserreich where “Tawantinsuyu” can appear as a native rebel state during a Peruvian civil war (or Bolivia or Ecuador, I don’t remember). In real life, it was the flag of the city of Cusco until last year, when they added another detail to differentiate it from the LGBT pride flag (which was introduced 16 days after Cusco adopted this flag, as it turns out). I’m not using the current version since it only exists due to confusion with the LGBT pride flag. In real life, it’s used to represent Quechua heritage and the Quechua people in general. Some go as far as to call it a “Tawantinsuyu flag,” but that is historically inaccurate as the old empire did not have a national flag in the Western sense. Spanish colonial chronicles do mention there were Incan banners and emblems of some sort, some of which had a rainbow color scheme, but these varied wildly and were used to represent various things, like military units and certain rulers. Still, the rainbow color scheme has precedent in pre-Colombian western South American cultures, particularly the Wiphala banners which have been around since at least the 11th century. They are commonly associated with the Aymara peoples, but they have been adopted by multiple other indigenous groups and local social and political movements. That page mentions the central diagonal of the Wiphala is colored differently depending on the suyu it represents, so now I have an idea of what colors represent each suyu (white for Qullasuyu, yellow for Kuntisuyu, red for Chinchaysuyu, and green for Antisuyu). I won’t directly use any of the designs on that page, or the rainbow flag above, since that wouldn’t make sense. Instead I’ll probably design a completely original flag with the ideas I mentioned.
Such a tragic end to a man who only wanted the best for his family and nation.
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RIP Jayasimha, the man really tried his best. That's another hope for the world snuffed out by the madness of the Committee and Elias the Lunatic. I really fear that even if Wilhelmina is victorious at the end of this, things are really gonna be a bleak future.
Rip India, I guess if there's an India after this, it will have no choice but to be a republic since the royal family is gone. Man, and I was hoping at least Lakshmi would make it, it would be good to have a trans person as an empress after anti LGBT regimes have risen to power in the world superpowers.
I feel like Pesah is at this point a Pandora’s box that bound to get out of control no matter what anyone tries to do. Jerusalem has really unleashed an apocalypse upon on the world, and it will up to the post Jerusalem Reich to pay the sins of the Committee.
Since you don’t like to use swearing in your writing, I was wondering if you’re using period appropriate medieval swears (like swearing by god's blood or body parts for example) in the 11th century arc? I think that would be a nice bit of historical authenticity to your rework and would make for a convenient substitute for modern swears, but I can understand if you decide against it to keep the dialogue more modern and recognizable to your audience.
Also, since we discussing potential new flags for countries here, I feel like Crusader Kings; Scandinavian flag than the Kalmar Union flag Scandinavia currently has, maybe you could include a fourth crown so you could represent Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden in the flag.
I feel like Pesah is at this point a Pandora’s box that bound to get out of control no matter what anyone tries to do. Jerusalem has really unleashed an apocalypse upon on the world, and it will up to the post Jerusalem Reich to pay the sins of the Committee.
Since you don’t like to use swearing in your writing, I was wondering if you’re using period appropriate medieval swears (like swearing by god's blood or body parts for example) in the 11th century arc? I think that would be a nice bit of historical authenticity to your rework and would make for a convenient substitute for modern swears, but I can understand if you decide against it to keep the dialogue more modern and recognizable to your audience.
Also, since we discussing potential new flags for countries here, I feel like Crusader Kings; Scandinavian flag than the Kalmar Union flag Scandinavia currently has, maybe you could include a fourth crown so you could represent Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden in the flag.
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If memory serves I think East Africa was a dominion of India for a while so couldn't a member of a cadet branch from over there take over since the main line is now gone?
Also I agree in that it would have been great karma if after the war both the Reich and India ended up being ruled by women.
The times are already bleak. They just will get much bleaker.
Unfortunately, only the good die young.
The EAF (not the supernation) has severed most ties with India, so they're effectively like the British dominions at this point. I doubt any cadet branch lives there at this point, especially since there was a very bloody civil war involving heavily anti-Indian monarchy nationalist and equalist rebel groups recently.If memory serves I think East Africa was a dominion of India for a while so couldn't a member of a cadet branch from over there take over since the main line is now gone?
Also I agree in that it would have been great karma if after the war both the Reich and India ended up being ruled by women.
Not just the Reich and India, but Persia as well because of Gunduz. And if Princess Hao survives the war, she'd be empress of China too...
Jerusalem really wants to make everything in the Bible a literal reality. Guess that includes the end times of the Book of Revelation.
That sounds neat. I'll save those links.
I think I'm going to keep the Kalmar Union flag because it's generic enough yet still recognizably Scandinavian, and I could make up any historical reason for it to have come into use. Though I have to admit such a flag wouldn't be introduced until the 15th century when the OTL Kalmar Union flag was designed. For the medieval era, I could add a fourth crown to the Estrids' coat of arms to symbolize all four kingdoms under their rule, though they wouldn't have a national flag yet. In the 11th century rework, that probably wouldn't mean much. It's much harder to edit the coat of arms because heraldry is far more complicated than drawing tricolors.
That also reminds me that the modern usage of "Scandinavia" and the pan-Scandinavist movement only came around in the 19th century. While the name itself has its roots in classical sources like Pliny the Elder's work, it was only reintroduced in the 19th century in a separate context. So I'll probably have to come up with another name for the polity in the CK2 and early EU4 era. Most likely bringing back "Norse Fylkirate" or some variation, with Scandinavia being introduced as a secular/nationalist name to replace the old religious-based one.
I'm not sure if Hao becoming empress of China is a good thing, given what we've seen of her behavior last time and Han controlling the throne through her.
Fair enough. I noticed you said earlier that you changed Persia's flag as well and I was wondering what flag that could be? My guess would be the double eagle coat of arms the Seljuks used in the middle ages, through the Persian lion still fits.
Speaking of the Seljuks, seeing how we've mostly discussed European events and characters when it comes to brainstorming ideas for the 11th century arc, I think Nizam al Mulk, the Seljuk vizier who in OTL became the de-facto ruler of Persia after the death of Alp Arslan, would be an interesting character to include, especially if you're planning on involving the Seljuks in the story and explain how Alp Arslan convinced the nobility and common people to convert to Zoroastrianism. Either that, or you could use him as inspiration for expanding on Hassan's character in the rework's depiction of the First Crusade, since they do share a lot of similarities.
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Yes, that much is certain.
In Chapter 466, an infographic about Operation Huma uses the following flag:
This was reportedly a design from the Qajar dynasty around 1886. It's not that different from the design used by the Pahlavis in the next century, but I like this one more, and if it turns out this wasn't historical I can just hand wave it since it's similar to the Pahlavi flags. I imagine this is the default flag used by the modern nation, and the OTL Pahlavi designs were used by the fascists (since I had Reza Pahlavi as the fascist dictator in HOI3). In CK2, the Seljuks would've used a different banner:
Not a flag in the modern sense, but a royal standard. The Safavid banner also works for EU4 since it's very basic and would still apply for a Zoroastrian Persia. There are allegedly Ghaznavid flags on the same Wikipedia page, but I'm not using them because they're unsourced and most likely fictitious.
Funny enough I was just reading his Wikipedia page a couple days ago when I was trying to figure out how exactly Persia flipped back to Zoroastrianism in a relatively realistic way. The answer is...I really don't know how to handwave it away as the Seljuks were almost firmly Islamicized by the generation of Alp Arslan. Alp Arslan himself was a very devout Muslim. So I had to look to earlier generations of the Seljuk dynasty. I found that the first of the dynasty, a guy named Seljuk, was recorded as having converted to Islam from some other religion along with his family. What his original faith was is still up to debate, but several scholars argue it could have been Nestorian Christianity. Reading up on the circumstances of his conversion, I could fudge details a little to say he only nominally converted at first for political gain. Only issue is this all happened decades before 1066. My current idea is to make the in-universe theory that the Seljuks were crypto-Zoroastrians canon. The only way I can figure out how to accomplish this without drifting into bad/revisionist history territory is to have Wilhelm briefly time traveling back to Seljuk's era, showing him some stuff about the Worm, probably the future of the Abbasid Caliphate being corrupted and taken over by the Worm cult and how there has to be a non-Islamic Persia to counter it, and something about that spurs him to instead convert to Zoroastrianism while outwardly claiming to be Muslim. Then the next couple generations up to Alp Arslan would be raised with a hybrid Zoroastrian/Islamic faith. Upon seeing the signs of the Worm cult taking over the Caliphate, Alp Arslan drops all pretenses of being Muslim and declares war on the Caliphate. This causes a ripple effect that tears apart the Islamic world. The Khazars and the Saray khans decide against conversion to Islam and instead either embracing their traditional ways or adopting Judaism, Christianity, or Norse/Slavic paganism (since those did spread to the steppes in-game). The Ghaznavids adopting Zunism though? I have no idea how a minor religion from at least 300 years before the POD comes back, but maybe some crazy Ghaznavid prince read old records about the religion, decided to convert, and somehow found himself in charge (maybe supported by Alp Arslan to get rid of another Islamic enemy). 11th century Zunism would probably take more from Hinduism than the original paganism.
Early Zoroastrian Seljuk Persia would be in a weird position. Since Alp Arslan renounced Islam, he'd immediately have made enemies of both most of his neighbors and a large part of his own population (although from what I've researched Zoroastrians still made up a large amount of the general population). So to appease the remaining Islamic factions in his court, he'd have to make a middle ground between full Zoroastrianism and Islam. That would probably mean toning down Zoroastrianism's dualism and emphasizing the oneness of God (which can easily be done and was suspected of being the "original" state of Zoroastrianism by some historians until recently). It helps that Zoroastrianism was considered one of the "religions of the book" by Islamic leaders alongside Christianity and Judaism and not persecuted as much as other religions. I'm still trying to figure out how to put Nizam al Mulk into the whole thing, because it seems like he wouldn't let any of this fly.
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Thinking some more about the Persian Zoroastrian revival led me to think about some other things regarding the Islamic world during the Pagan Resurgence. The Worm cult's takeover of the Abbasid Caliphate, and all of the madness that accompanies it, would probably make Muslims more welcoming of Friedrich's crusade, since Friedrich would at least have tried to respect their beliefs and protect them as much as he would protect Christians.
Looking into the history of the Abbasid Caliphate in the 11th century, the Seljuks had actually taken Baghdad in 1055 and in OTL would control it for another century, keeping the caliphs as effective puppets. Although Alp Arslan would remain in Persia, he would have had significant influence in the Abbasid court and known about the cult's influence there. When he rebels against the corrupted caliphate, it would significantly weaken the caliphate's religious and political authority. In-game, I remember that Alp Arslan conquering large parts of Iraq triggered the Islamic jihads and effectively set the Fatimids, Abbasids, and other regional powers against each other. To justify a lot of what happens next (Zoroastrian revival, Friedrich's successful takeover and stable control of almost the entire Middle East, and the complete collapse of both caliphates), I think the only way is if the Worm cult started operating in the open and stopped hiding itself. I also found that the caliph "al-Mustansir" I previously mentioned is not an Abbasid caliph as I had previously assumed, but a Fatimid one. That would mean Hassan was operating in the Fatimid court in Cairo, not Baghdad. Maybe it would be more appropriate if Hassan and his cult were operating in both courts at the same time and manipulating the entire Islamic world through both caliphs. The perceived heresy of the two caliphs would break apart the Islamic world, pushing many Muslims into Friedrich's camp or towards Alp Arslan's Islam-inspired Zoroastrianism.
How would Nizam al-Mulk fit into this? He might have met up with Friedrich the Great during the crusade and offered his support, becoming a liaison to local Muslim populations and helping establish a tolerant crusader state that would later become part of the Reich (and then crushed by Saint Wilhelmina's paranoia). In real life, the man founded a madrasa system in cities across the Seljuk realm, a government sponsored higher education system which would go on to influence the university system. In joining Friedrich the Great, he could be the inspiration behind the Reich's universities. He also wrote political treatises discussing law and government which later inspired Ibn Khaldun (someone I'd like to involve in the 11th century rework) and Machiavelli. These treatises could have been syncretized with Byzantine and Holy Roman law to become forerunners of the Augustinian Code.
As an aside, I did more research into Michael Psellos. Turns out he was Anna Komnena's tutor. In light of this added to our previous discussion, I was thinking about maybe making him not a symbol of the old Byzantine order, but maybe a wild card Friedrich has to get on his side to make everything work. He could even have been the founder of the Inquisition given his writings on demon summoning.
Looking into the history of the Abbasid Caliphate in the 11th century, the Seljuks had actually taken Baghdad in 1055 and in OTL would control it for another century, keeping the caliphs as effective puppets. Although Alp Arslan would remain in Persia, he would have had significant influence in the Abbasid court and known about the cult's influence there. When he rebels against the corrupted caliphate, it would significantly weaken the caliphate's religious and political authority. In-game, I remember that Alp Arslan conquering large parts of Iraq triggered the Islamic jihads and effectively set the Fatimids, Abbasids, and other regional powers against each other. To justify a lot of what happens next (Zoroastrian revival, Friedrich's successful takeover and stable control of almost the entire Middle East, and the complete collapse of both caliphates), I think the only way is if the Worm cult started operating in the open and stopped hiding itself. I also found that the caliph "al-Mustansir" I previously mentioned is not an Abbasid caliph as I had previously assumed, but a Fatimid one. That would mean Hassan was operating in the Fatimid court in Cairo, not Baghdad. Maybe it would be more appropriate if Hassan and his cult were operating in both courts at the same time and manipulating the entire Islamic world through both caliphs. The perceived heresy of the two caliphs would break apart the Islamic world, pushing many Muslims into Friedrich's camp or towards Alp Arslan's Islam-inspired Zoroastrianism.
How would Nizam al-Mulk fit into this? He might have met up with Friedrich the Great during the crusade and offered his support, becoming a liaison to local Muslim populations and helping establish a tolerant crusader state that would later become part of the Reich (and then crushed by Saint Wilhelmina's paranoia). In real life, the man founded a madrasa system in cities across the Seljuk realm, a government sponsored higher education system which would go on to influence the university system. In joining Friedrich the Great, he could be the inspiration behind the Reich's universities. He also wrote political treatises discussing law and government which later inspired Ibn Khaldun (someone I'd like to involve in the 11th century rework) and Machiavelli. These treatises could have been syncretized with Byzantine and Holy Roman law to become forerunners of the Augustinian Code.
As an aside, I did more research into Michael Psellos. Turns out he was Anna Komnena's tutor. In light of this added to our previous discussion, I was thinking about maybe making him not a symbol of the old Byzantine order, but maybe a wild card Friedrich has to get on his side to make everything work. He could even have been the founder of the Inquisition given his writings on demon summoning.
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Very interesting breakdown of the Middle East. Especially like the role you gave to Hizam al Mulk as an ally of Fredrich the Great. Yes, it would be nice to see Khaldun in that arc, even though he was born three centuries after the 11th century . This does make me wonder what the story for the fall of Islamic North Africa and Al-Andalus would be though, as Robert Guiscard and his brother Roger Bosso (who's son would go on to become the king of Sicily and conquer North Africa, ironically enough) were already in the middle of conquering Sicily by 1066. I'm guessing the fall of the Almoravids to the Malians would be what would leave Hispania vulnerable to Norse invasions, considering the Almoravids did intervene in the Reconquista during this period.
Also I'm surprised to hear that Michael was Anna's tutor, considering that most sources I came across don't give much concrete information on Psellos' activity after Micheal VII Doukas reign ended in 1078. Still though, I like him being an important wild card, as he was friends with the Ecumenical Patriarch.
Also, since you brought up potential plans for an EU4-NWO definitive edition earlier, I was wondering if you got any ideas on how Julie d'Aubigny became a general in EU4?
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I completely forgot Ibn Khaldun was from a later era. I must have been thinking of some other 11th century figure, like Maimonides (althou.
Making Nizam al-Mulk an ally of Friedrich both is the only way he would let the Persian situation slide (in that he wouldn’t) and make what happens to the Islamic world under Saint Wilhelmina several decades later all the more tragic, as he would have been one of many Muslims who believed in Friedrich’s ideals only to be betrayed and violently purged. The French could have gone through a similar process. I’m also figuring out how France would realistically join the Holy Roman side of the empire, and having the common people and some important nobles initially support Friedrich only to be purged by his successors would parallel the Muslims’ fate. I guess this would also apply to Poland, or maybe in that case I could have a Slavic crusade briefly conquer Poland before Friedrich and the HRE take it back.
I think I’ve already gone over Andalusia before. In-game, I remember not much happening in Iberia until the Norse suddenly took over part of the northern coast, then I decided to help them along by giving them more troops, which led them to conquer what they did. In-universe, I presume the news and fallout from whatever goes down with the caliphates and Persia has reached Iberia by now, which causes a power struggle among the emirs of al-Andalus that the Christians exploit, then while the Christians and Muslims are busy the Norse invade from England and Normandy. A lot of people at least nominally accept the Norse gods to save themselves, and perhaps a lot of Norse settlers start arriving over the next few years. Not an insignificant number of Andalusian Muslims convert due to the state of the Islamic world. Some of the Christian kingdoms reach out to Friedrich the Glorious for military assistance (as by this point it’s the early 12th century and Saint Gunhilda’s time), and he obliges and uses the opportunity to conquer Iberia for himself. Friedrich might have also signed a military alliance with Mali to destroy the Almoravids and prevent a counterattack from North Africa. From what I’ve read, the Almoravids were based in Morocco and southern Andalusia and wouldn’t have affected the Norse invasions that came from the north, unless their attacks distracted both the local Islamic and Christian polities so they were too wrapped up in fighting each other and the Almoravids to notice the Norse. The Almoravids also started off following a puritanical interpretation of Islam that viewed the religious tolerance and cultural practices of the Andalusian Muslims as heretical and decadent, and in OTL when they took over Andalusia they never took on the title of caliph but ruled in the Abbasids’ name, perhaps as a way of restoring what they saw as moral order to Andalusia. In light of the collapse of the caliphs’ religious authority, I could see the Almoravids attempting to take the title for themselves and conquering Iberia with more zeal and aggression than in real life, positioning themselves as the true leaders of Islam. Then of course this only exposes Iberia to Norse invasion, while the Malians attack north of the Sahara and take over their Moroccan power bases.
As for North Africa, I don’t have much yet. I remember in-game I had Heinrich IV first take over all of Italy and then North Africa around Tunisia and western Libya. Perhaps I could have this represent the Guiscards’ expansion. After whatever interactions Robert has with Friedrich the Great, he and his brother could try their luck at conquering North Africa, and their successors would swear loyalty to the Reich for military aid. I don’t remember what dynasty I had in charge of the area before the Schweinfurts (probably just Heinrich and the Salians directly), but I could have the Guiscards ruling North Africa before marrying into the Schweinfurt family.
I have absolutely no clue about Norman-Malian Portugal though. I don’t think I can explain that in any reasonable way.
I did some more research on their connection, and my updated conclusion is…maybe? Some sources suggest Psellos directly tutored her, others that she merely drew inspiration from his writing style and ideas. She did mention Psellos’s student John Italos quite often in the Alexiad. As you say, we don’t have that much reliable information on him after 1078. He definitely would have been a major player in both Byzantine politics and the church, so Friedrich would certainly have had to deal with him at some point.
While researching the above a few days ago, I also found another person I could highlight: Anna Dalassena, mother of Alexios and grandmother of Anna. She was a very clever political figure in her own right and helped Alexios with administrative matters like being regent while he was at war, since Alexios’ passion was on the battlefield. Working together with the former empress consort Eudokia (I’ve talked about her previously), she was instrumental in elevating Alexios to the throne and consolidating power in the Komnenoi, then she influenced much of Alexios’ policies during his reign. She also really hated the Doukai because the throne passed to Constantine X Doukas after the Komnenoi overthrew Michael VI. This gives me several ideas for both her and Alexios. Her alliance with Eudokia means she would have been working closely with Ida, so there’s the possibility of three empress consorts/mothers working together to manipulate Byzantine court politics in Friedrich’s favor, possibly opposed by Psellos at first. Once Friedrich has been accepted by the court, they then work to assure his son ascends to the throne. I don’t know the reason yet, but perhaps his open-mindedness about Byzantine customs (since at the time western Europeans typically thought of the Byzantines as decadent and effeminate while the Byzantines saw the westerners as uncivilized brutes) and being a neutral party without any prior ties to the major Byzantine dynatoi, as well as his successes in the Holy Land and his dream of reuniting the old empire, makes him an acceptable candidate. Alexios would be onboard since as I found above (and as Anna Komnene wrote), he was a gifted military leader who loved leading his troops but didn’t like politics. Dalassene in OTL died around 1100-1102, so I could have her live a little longer to see the Restoration and possibly mentor young Wilhelmina just as she did for Anna Komnene.
Not at the moment, but I would want to address her in a definitive edition, and I did do a little research into her backstory.
One idea I’m currently floating around for a mini-arc in a definitive edition, though, is a high-seas chase across the western Atlantic between the Roman flagship, with Kaiserin Victoria onboard, and the Triple Alliance flagship during the early months of Sunrise Invasion. Other than this premise, I’ve got nothing yet and probably won’t expand on it unless I commit the the whole project.
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I like this ideas for your 11th Century rewrite, would definitely help expand more into the World since CK2's portion was quite lacking in that area of worldbuilding. I especially like the idea of powerful women playing politics in the Byzantine court, Anna Dalassenos' role was quite big in OTL since I recall her being regent when Alexios was out campaigning. The status of women would pretty much improved, even if it's at a slim margin since as we see, there's quiet a lot of Empresses in the EU4 section, probably because of this, the Committee would have taken measures to rewrite everything they find 'heretical' or a reminiscence of the so called Party Cartel, they'd probably diminish the politicking Anna Dalassena, Ida and Eudokia and would have attributed it all to Alexios and his Komnenoi faction alone, ignoring the steps both three took to make it all work by the time Fredreich the Glorious ascended to both thrones. Hell I can see those three forming their own triumvirate as well, Psellos could have formed his own anti-Latin faction that tries to oppose these, but perhaps in the end he gives way once he realizes the benefits (and maybe some incentives) to a unification.
The more I research the state of the Byzantine Empire in the 11th century, the more extremely interesting and influential women I find being involved in politics. My original idea was Alexios would have been the kingmaker for Friedrich the Glorious, but it turns out he didn’t really do well with court intrigue, and it was Dalassena who helped him a lot with that. A triumvirate of her, Eudokia, and Ida would have gone a long way to cementing Friedrich’s power. Their influence over Anna Komnene and possibly Friedrich the Glorious would’ve improved the status of women in the early Reich, especially in the western provinces where women weren’t educated as well as in Byzantium from what I found. Even lower class Byzantine women and girls had some education, while that was a lot less common in 11th century France and the HRE. Though that’s not to say the average medieval peasant was the stereotypical illiterate and uneducated simpleton as pop culture thinks. Friedrich and his successors most likely imported a lot of Byzantine social reforms, like their education system, to the west, while some western innovations went the other way.
Psellos as a political rival to this triumvirate would be pretty cool, and he’d make a great minor antagonist in the political sphere like how Robert Guiscard is a military antagonist. Ultimately he’d come around to Friedrich’s cause, though he’d remain a welcome voice of dissent and second opinion keeping Friedrich in check.
Now that I think about it, I really want to write a battle of Robert and his sons against Friedrich and Alexios fielding a combined HRE/Byzantine army, while Dalassena and Psellos have a heated debate in a courtroom mirroring an OTL incident where she defended herself during a trial.
The committee would most certainly erase all of these women from the history books and attribute everything to Alexios, ironically in a similar way as to my original plan.
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And one of these has to be the fork, as I understand, Western Europe actually found that blasphemous when a Byzantine princess introduced the court to the fork apparently, so I reckon the fork will be already become a norm by the time EU4 takes place, much earlier than when it was in OTL. And I can picture Elias, in his already worsening mental condition attempt to ban the usage of forks cause it's irreligious but will probably overturned by folks like Josiah since at that point, forks are already so in the norm that it'd be actually detrimental, idk, I just find the idea of a simple thing like a fork cause further disunity among the Committee, and hey, wars have been started for less after all as OTL showed with that war over a bucket
By the way, speaking of Hispania, since El Cid will definitely be making an appearance in the rewrite, I take it his status as a legendary figure among everybody in Hispania is increased tenfold now that there's a very likelihood that he would have fought the Norse as well? I reckon El Cid would have created a bastion for Christians and Andalusian Muslims once the Almoravids and the Norse launch their respective wars, and said bastion would assist Fredreich the Glorious once it and other surviving kingdoms reached out for support, El Cid would have definitely been seen as a respected warrior by the Almoravids and the Norse.
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I love the conversations about the rework. But I do wonder how you would go about it. Would it be like this part of the story in were the chapters stay the same but between them there are character arc's like the Anne Frank, X-Division, Fringe and now The Handmaid's Tale arc's or are you thinking of a different method all together?
I also am interested in how the Native Italians react to the arrival of Friedrich the Glorious and his proclamation of the Rich? Especially since even though many Italians by 1066 in OTL were already not the "pure" Latin Italians of the Old Roman Empire since by then you have the area inhabited by everyone from German's, Arab's, Norman's and everything else. Also I believe many would still probably sneer at the idea of a German (one of the peoples that brought down the western empire in the first place) being its new defender.
I also am interested in how the Native Italians react to the arrival of Friedrich the Glorious and his proclamation of the Rich? Especially since even though many Italians by 1066 in OTL were already not the "pure" Latin Italians of the Old Roman Empire since by then you have the area inhabited by everyone from German's, Arab's, Norman's and everything else. Also I believe many would still probably sneer at the idea of a German (one of the peoples that brought down the western empire in the first place) being its new defender.
That sounds fun. Are you planning on integrating previously discussed ideas for one offs into your definitive edition if you get around to it, such as Prince Nikephourus fighting the Worm Cult in Yavadi? Also, I think I and TWR said this before, but Augustin Kommenos is certainly an interesting figure that could be fleshed out a bit more.
Quite like these ideas we've been discussing for the rework, such as the alliance between Anna, Eudokia and Ida to counter Psellos' influnce at court. When we get to the Rework, I wonder if you're going to list your sources after each update and explain some narrative choices you make in the rework that intentionally deviate from history, like how you listed your real life influences for this arc in previous updates?
Also excuse me for the rant, but after what I've learned about 11th century Byzantium, I have to say frak the Doukai for their role in Manzikert and its aftermath. I find it pretty ironic how Romanos Diogenes was treated better by Alp Arslan than he was by his own people. Also Psellos sending a letter to mock Romanos after he was blinded and basically murdered is a low blow from him.
Also @TWR97, just so you know, the idea that Modena went to war with Bologna over a bucket is a popular misconception. Granted there are some accounts that do say Bologna took a bucket after the war as a trophy of conquest. Rather, Modena was a pro HRE (Ghibelline) city that was angry that Bolonga, a pro Pope (Guelph) had taken one of their forts and went to war for that reason.
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