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Prologue: The City of the Worlds Desire (330 AD - 1444)
  • Prologue: The City of the Worlds Desire (330 AD - 1444)

    Constantinople, the Queen of Cities, once had the reputation of greatness. It was founded as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great, after whom it was named, in 330AD. The city was built intentionally to rival Rome in its greatness, and it was claimed that several elevations within its walls matched the 'seven hills' of Rome. Sitting in the center as a gateway between two continents and two seas, the city would preserve the light of Rome in the East as the West fell into darkness. Barely seventy years after the death of Constantine, Rome would be sacked for the first time in eight hundred years.

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    The Western Empire would fall and be carved up and split between various barbarian rulers and the light of Rome would be snuffed out. For centuries, the Empire had remained strong in the East and had even made attempts to reconquer the West on several occasions. But the Empire’s success was not made to last. In the seventh century, the Empire and all of Christendom would see it’s greatest enemy arrive from the deserts of Arabia. Led by newfound 'prophet' named Muhammad, his followers rapidly stormed the decaying Sassanids in Persia and most of Asia and Africa. Constantinople herself was threatened several times by the Avars, Bulgars and the newfound Arabs. But yet, the great walls and soldiers ensured the city’s survival in this dark time. From then on, the Empire would struggle immensely to regain control of the East, and suffering worse success in retaking areas such as Anatolia and Armenia.


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    Alexios I Komnenos (1048 - 1118): Alexios was able to curb the Byzantine decline and begin the military, financial, and territorial recovery known as the Komnenian restoration.

    Despite this, Constantinople continued to flourish. It had become the metropolis of East and West, and became one of the largest cities in the world. With several periods of recovery, the Emperor slowly started to recover once again. With the restoration of lands and a strong central government, the empire became fabulously wealthy.The enormous prosperity also made Constantinople a valuable target for all of her enemies, and the Empire’s prosperity was completely shattered with the overwhelmingly crushing defeat in at Battle of Manzikert by the Turks. Anatolia had been lost to the Turks, who quickly made the region their homeland, and took the heart of the Empire away from them. Many years of back and forth conflict between the Turks and Greeks occured between the almost mockingly named Sultanate of Rum.


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    A much later depiction of the Sack of Constantinople

    Once again, the Empire started to make a remarkable recovery until Latin Crusaders sacked the Imperial Capital in 1204, leaving the Empire much poorer, smaller, and ultimately less able to defend itself against the Turkish conquests that followed. The Latins took the city and would hold it for decades after shattering the former Eastern Empire into several rump states and declaring their own Latin Empire. The Latins were never able to maintain their new state, as sixty years later In 1261, Constantinople was retaken the forces of the Nicaean emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos from it’s last Latin ruler, Baldwin II. The Empire would soon be restored shortly after it was captured.

    The Empire had lost many of its key economic resources and struggled to survive against all odds.From the very start, new dynasty had its hands full the moment they became rulers. The Turks of Anatolia had been raiding and attacking Imperial territory with Islamic zeal, often hitting the Empire and the Greeks hard while doing so. Despite this, the Palaiologos was forced to fight among other opportunist Christian states such as Bulgaria, Serbia and even the Knights Hospitaller. The loss of land in the east to the Turks and in the west to the Bulgarians was then followed by two devastating civil wars over control of the Imperial throne, and then pandemic and chaos during the great pestilence of the Black Death. The Empire constantly stood on the brink of destruction,and by the end of the 14th century, the internal and external strife had led the Empire to only consist of Constantinople and a few other isolated exclaves.

    And yet, the city endured. While nowhere near the splendor that it once was, Constantinople survived the early 15th century hanging on by a thread. Any gains and diplomatic successes that the Emperors had tried at that point had ended in vain. Manuel II, who succeeded in retaking some territory and held it to the end of his reign, had helped preserve the Empire for several more decades. Manuel’s son, John VIII was still hopeful that he was able to return the dying fortunes of the Empire in his reign, but his efforts were in vain.

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    Sketches of John VIII during his visit at the failed Council of Florence in 1438, by Pisanello.

    After the Council, John VIII’s behavior started to change after returning home to Constantinople in 1439. The Emperor, who had so strongly done his best to preserve the Empire, started to isolate himself with the Imperial Library. The Emperor surrounded himself with ancient books, and had even closed the library to himself for days or even weeks at a time. One night, on the 10th of November 1444, the Emperor had went to his quarters and went to sleep for the night after a stressful day, feeling dreadful upon hearing the disastrous news of a Turkish victory at Varna.

    When he woke up, the dream he had would change the world.
     
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    Chapter 1: The Third Odyssey
  • Bring the purple to the new world! Welcome to the world of AAR-ing, may your first endeavor be a memorable and successful one - and may the community of fellow AAR readers and writers bring you that extra encouragement that all authAARs need!

    Cheers!

    An AAR about one of the best, if not the best mod for EU 4? I'm in!
    This is a great mod - will be interesting to see another AAR in it.
    Great to see you starting the AAR, I hadn't expected my encouragement to write one too to be so effective ;). As said, hopefully the rest of the AAR will be as good as the prologue, subbed!

    Thank you for all the kind words! :D


    Chapter 1: The Third Odyssey


    11th November, 1444

    Emperor John VIII looked over the balcony of the Imperial Palace at the breaking dawn, the rising sun coming over the the horizon near the Golden Horn. His usually vibrant complexion appeared different upon waking up from his dream. The bearded man had woken up in cold sweat, breathing sharply as he struggled to regain composure. He silently watched the sunrise over the city of Constantinople, which in its current state, was not the city that he could proudly present to the Emperors before him. It was falling into more of a degenerate state as the Empire could no longer afford to maintain some of the most basic of buildings.

    It was that dream again.

    John could remember spending entire days within the Imperial Library with his brother Constantine, seeking guidance from the wisdom of history to help mend the broken state of Constantinople. Delving into the depths of the Imperial Library for anything that might save the Empire and even perhaps the two men from destruction. John remembered the classical poems of the Iliad and the Odyssey, imagining himself as the hero Odysseus and his homecoming from the eventful years from the Trojan War. His dream had almost been recurring ever since he arrived back to Constantinople from Florence several years ago, but the imagery had never been this strong before until last night. Now it was clear as day.


    He closed his eyes and remembered every single detail of the dream. First he seen a vast land, full with potential and opportunities. Bountiful rivers and wildlife, rich waters, vast and seemingly endless plains of grass. Then, in a flash of light, everything seemed to occur within the blink of an eye. He understood that what was happening was the acceleration of time, watching decades and centuries pass as the inhabitants of this land experienced prosperity beyond their wildest dreams. Small towns began to turn into cities, communities grew, and he seen an entire culture develop before his eyes. But what happened next absolutely fascinated him. He seen this new people, proud and strong, sail in a mighty fleet to Europe and bring salvation to an entire continent in war. The enemies of this new people were vanquished, and, in due time, the warm light of this new nation radiated across the world. The vibrant gardens could have been compared to the Garden of Eden. And just like that, the dream had faded, the light had drifted out peacefully into darkness and woke John up.


    He watched silently as the city of Constantinople began to return to life, distantly seeing some of its inhabitants starting to get to work so early in the morning. John took another look at the sun and turned around. That was it for the day. His spirits had been boosted when he thought about the dream, and started to think about what it could have meant. A dream so vivid and graphic could have been much more than simply a dream. Was this a vision from God himself? Was this something that Heaven had smiled upon him? Could this have been his destiny? He wasted no time trying to find his brother Constantine, who had been staying on the other side of the Imperial Palace.

    440px-Palaio.jpg

    John VIII Palaiologos, Roman Emperor and seen as one of the national founders of Elysia alongside his brother.

    When he arrived, he had seen his brother talking to a couple of advisors in the throneroom. Constantine had noticed his brother walk into the room as if he had seen his brother enter like a man possessed. Constantine looked puzzled at his brother. He had seen him behaving in this way before, but never like this. Constantine stopped speaking to his advisors and headed towards his brother, who almost seemed to be waiting for him from a short distance away.

    Constantine gave a heartfelt chuckle at seeing his brother. Perhaps a speech about why his brother was out of bed was not needed today. He could feel something different about him. Inspiration seemed to flicker in his eyes, although he didn’t quite understand what was on his mind. “You seemed to have woken up in quite a good mood.” Constantine told him. “I haven’t seen you this determined and energetic in a long time.”


    John nodded in approval. Around the courtroom, the advisors seemed to have noticed the quieter conversation between the royal brothers and had decided to move away from them to respect their privacy. “I seemed to have quite the dream last night. ‘That’ dream again.” He told him, taking a moment to let his brother register what he was talking about. “The one that Ive been telling you about.”

    constantinexi.jpg

    Constantine XI Palaiologos, Despot of the Morea and brother to John VIII

    Constantine’s mind flashed back to the last time they had been been together in the Imperial Library. The two of them had found that hidden cache of information left behind by the exalted former emperor: Alexios Komnenos. The detailed schematics of dromons and galleys for a trading expedition that never happened completely fascinated John. Constantine used to hear the sometimes constant stories of John talking about such a discovery until the flame in his heart seemed to die out. Now, just by looking into his eyes. It was well and truly aflame again. Constantine felt glad that, in some way, he was glad to see his brother back.

    Yet, Constantine seemed to be the most nervous between the two of them. The day before, he had heard reports of the Varna Crusaders having been butchered by the Turks. Vassals of the crown had reacted merely in horror at the news and began to panic at whenever the Turks, flushed in their victory, would come directly after them next. The more that John spoke, the more that his brother made sense in some of his ramblings about visions.

    Constantine reminded John, sighing softly. “I must admit that nothing we have tried has succeeded. Having dreams in such a dire time like this is not going to do us any good in the long run.”

    John paused for a second as the two of them started to walk across the the palace floors, heading towards the winding corridors. . “My dream last night did not feel like a dream. It was….more complex. Yes, what we have both tried to accomplish for the betterment of the Empire has failed in the long term. But...I believe we must consider this”

    Constantine seemed more than a little puzzled at the thoughts of his

    John placed a hand on the shoulder of his brother. “I seen something much greater than Rome. I seen something absolutely beautiful. My dream...or visions, might have been divine. I feel as this might be the best opportunity for our people, and I sense deep down that ever since we found those documents, you believe this as well. Just like Aeneas fled Troy three thousand years ago, I believe that it is the destiny of our people to flee West in a brand new Odyssey. “

    Constantine remained deathly quiet. A new odyssey, sailing west and abandoning Constantinople to the enemies of Christendom? Had this been any other man, Constantine would have thought that this was nonsense. But his was his brother, who with a newfound inspiration and burning desire in his eyes, had a special aura around his already vibrant charisma. John was a man who looked like, maybe, he can actually accomplish this seemingly impossible feat.

    ….could it actually be done?

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Several months later.

    A council of nobles currently residing within Constantinople was summoned and the two brothers had come together to organize their grand idea together, while messengers were sent to towards the Peloponnese lords in the south about the events that were to transpire. John had sharply told them that, despite his best efforts during his reign as Emperor, he believed that the Empire simply didn’t have the capacity to survive within the next decade. Instead, the Emperor used his charm to sell the idea of starting anew, just like the legend of Aeneas. Intentionally, as a means of not worrying about the nobility or those doubtful of his reign, were found under the sway of John’s silver tongue. Those in Constantinople at the time loved the idea, fascinated about the prospect of increasing their own reputation when they arrive at their new home. The clergy had raised more than an eyebrow at the plan, but the self-made merchants living within the city were thrilled about the prospect of making new wealth.
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    One of the first things that came towards the Empire was the option of taking the recently discovered long-lost formula for Greek Fire. Although found within a separate cache from the one on how to construct ocean-worthy vessels or to improve on existing ships within the Imperial Navy, the weapon was once especially fearsome across Europe and around the Mediterranean. Greek Fire had saved the Empire in ages long past on several cross Europe for its devastating destructive abilities. After thinking about the other possibilities, such as being unable to bring more supplies and people with him, Greek Fire had saved the Empire in ages long past on several occasions and the importance of bringing Greek Fire and the previously lost formula along with them. John thought about the consequences if he didn’t bring it with him. What if the Turks or other Mohammedans were able to acquire Greek Fire!? Europe would be helpless!


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    The Imperial Library was next. Thousands upon thousands of books containing ancient knowledge was ordered to have been taken from the vast Library of Constantinople. John realized that leaving such information if the city were to be conquered could potentially be disastrous. After all, it was in the Imperial library where the two royal brothers rediscovered the ancient knowledge that has made this expedition after all. Constantine personally overseen the removal of books within the library, having various librarians and clergy from the Orthodox Church delicately stack the books in several vessels at the harbor. While it did mean less people could join in the expedition, priceless knowledge would be saved. The Imperial Library would be stripped completely bare, and any books and information deemed unnecessary was burnt in a great pyre.

    ZXKc7QW.png


    Silk, a treasured gift from faraway lands and the means to produce it, has helped the Roman economy grow tremendously ever since it arrived in Constantinople. The Empire once had a monopoly on it ever since it was preserved, being protected by the Empire. Without hesitation, John would take the secrets of silk production on this journey, as if nothing else, the secret of the finest silk in all of Europe would die with them.

    DgfDa5L.png


    Emperor John, knowing his position and wanting to give the best possible position for the Empire while he still can. An organized proposal had been organized for the Doge of Genoa, and both would allow the Genoese free passage to and from their Black Sea colonies for as long as John himself was in power. In return, John highly desired some of the sturdy Genonese ships to help allow more of his own people to accompany the grand expedition. As soon as the Doge of Genoa had found out about this proposal, seeing the enormous financial gain from a friendly Christian monarch giving him free access, accepted the proposal with hesitation. A handful of ships would be sold and quickly retrofitted with the new designs for ocean travel, and the Genoese were free to come and go as they pleased.

    lDQoYqC.png


    The Venetians however, desired a much higher form of payment. Having been bitter enemies since the treachery of the Fourth Crusade, Venice is well known for wanting to expand their holdings in the Peleponnese. John realized that in order to make the Venetians happy, he needed to drive a better offer then he did for the Genonese. After some thinking, John would meet with a Venetian ambassador about his terms for the Venetians. For a set period of twenty years, the Venetians would gain the entire of the peninsula under vassalship of a Greek noble, and in return, the Venetians would hand over a portion of their navy to the Empire. While nobles in the area were upset and felt anger towards the Emperor, especially the lord of Venice, the resulting deal was well worth it. The Venetians accepted and, two weeks later, a sizeable number of ships were given to the Empire for more supplies and willing people to accompany on the journey.

    OyMWXom.png


    The Venetian deal did not come without controversy and the Athenian nobles, worried about now being surrounded on all sides by the Venetians, demanded compensation in the form of land or gold. A large payment was given to the Athenians from the Imperial treasury after an apologetic response from the Emperor. Further complaints from the Athenians were quickly silenced following the dispute.

    By Early-January, the great fleet was completely organized. A fleet of ships completely surrounded the Golden Horn and most of the nearby area of Constantinople, and thousands of inhabitants were prepared to make the journey. A collective group of people from all walks of life were pooling together in the ships. Artisans, merchants, blacksmiths, soldiers, sailors, all being united together under the Emperor. Nobles were talking with commoners, Greeks were talking with Latins, soldiers were assisting the elderly and the young as they made their way into the boat. Emperor John looked over in pride to his brother as he seen a group of people as far as the eye can see. Constantine had counted that, according to some of the soldiers overseeing the supplying process, almost eighteen thousand souls were on board of the great fleet and supplied. Once everything was prepared, the sails were drawn and the great fleet prepared to sail into the horizon. Constantinople, now being more deserted then what it was before, vanished from the horizon. The atmosphere was rather somber as everyone on the ship realized that nobody would ever see their home again.

    gzByN0z.png


    The Fleet sailed across the Mediterranean, gaining a lot of attention from both Europe and the Arab world alike as they made its way towards the narrow point near Gibraltar. Such attention was being focused on the fleet that the rulers of Gibraltar had joined up with the Moroccans to demand toll from the Great Fleet. John frowned in annoyance, realizing how petty the Muslims of the region were acting towards a largely civilian ship. After a tense stand-off, it would be John that would show the intense power of Greek Fire. The entire Granadian and Moroccan Fleet, being completely taken by surprise by the seemingly harmless and innocent fleet, was completely wiped out to the last ship and sailor in a completely humiliating display, with zero casualties on the fleets side. Just an hour later, the Great Fleet sailed through the completely broken enemy ships like they were nothing, as commoner and noble alike cheered in victory, praising God and the Emperor. It seemed that any doubts that had been lingering on the minds of the homesick and the skeptical were now gone. Morale across the fleet skyrocketed.


    News of the Granadian “disaster” quickly reaches the court of Lisbon, and two lonesome Portuguese ships sail to approach the Great Fleet out of curiosity. The Portuguese, under the impression that the fleet is heading south to explore Africa, offered to give the Fleet more supplies on the condition that the Empire tells the about their discoveries. As news of this spread across the fleet, one of the advisors brilliantly informed the Emperor about using this opportunity to trick the nation’s of Europe into thinking the fleet had encountered tremendous storms and seas filled with monsters. That way, it would discourage Europe for long enough to not follow the fleet. John immediately took the advisors advice and promoted him by allowing him to stay on the same ship as the royal family and other fellow nobles.

    eofPhb7.jpg


    With the final encounter from the mainland, the fleet had left Europe by late January 1445. Once the ships had sailed past the Azores, it was the last official sighting of the Byzantines within European documentation. Mere days after the Empire had left Constantinople, the Ottoman Turks invaded an almost empty Constantinople being guarded by a skeleton crew and population. The Turks had claimed their jewel in the city of Constantinople, but with the city almost half empty, they wondered why it was so easy.

    aa709014a4c44d8b99e0d04e0c59094f.jpg

    A depiction of Mehmed II Fatih (The Conqueror), Padishah of the Ottoman Empire and Conqueror of Constantinople, in his adult years. Unbelievably talented and gifted since birth, Mehmed conquered the City of the World's Desire only at the age of 13.
    The Third Odyssey was on its way.
     
    Chapter 2: Foundation Day
  • Nice! I love that mod.

    I have only one question at this point: are you going Hellenic or Orthodox?
    Orthodox. Mainly because I deem Orthodoxy to be much more realistic, plus it would make confrontations with Europe a lot more interesting from a geopolitical point of view. :)

    Chapter 2: Foundation Day

    The Great Fleet had sailed across the ocean for several weeks, finding nothing but tranquil waters and with fortunate winds being able to guide the exiled Byzantines directly west from Europe. After two weeks on sea, the atmosphere was surprisingly lively among the populace on the ships. Despite finding themselves confined and stranded on the ocean and usually trapped on their vessels, commoners among the ship usually did whatever they could to assist the sailors on the ships as well as they could. The nobility, following closely behind the flagship of the Imperial family, entered talks among themselves about what they could expect to find if they ever find themselves making landfall. Some of them imagined that if they continued to sail on this path, they might end up encountering Asia. With some days being more boring then the others, the calm waters had on the journey so far was a resounding success.

    Emperor John VII believed that things were going well. Almost...too well

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    That following sunset, the weather conditions changed dramatically as large black clouds appeared in the horizon for as far as the eye could see. The winds have picked up from what was a calm breeze that morning into powerful winds that blew and shook the fleet. Animals that were taken into the fleet began to panic, almost barely able to be restrained as the booming sound of thunder filled the skies. A great storm was approaching and the Emperor knew what was coming.

    “Secure the Fleet” the Emperor told his captains, immediately rushing to raise flags to alert the rest of the fleet. The Emperor realized that this wasn’t going to be a mere storm, they were sailing fight through the eye of it.

    During the storm, lightning had struck the sails of one of the ships and set it ablaze, quickly sending the ship on fire as dozens of sailors attempted to flee onto a nearby ship. Some were killed as the ship went down into the waves, but thankfully, it wasn’t a ship containing many people and was merely holding a large amount of gold. But now, it seemed that then wealth and the ship would now vanish forever beneath the ocean.

    Commoners and the nobility both worked together to secure their safety on the ships, while the clergy did their best to work along themselves and secure and protect holy icons and relics. With the merchants helping sailors in guiding their ships through the storm, one lone figure stood on the deck of the ship. The Emperor himself.

    Constantine watched from safety, holding onto the frame of a door and begging his brother to come inside. Yet John refused to move, standing steadfast on the board of the ship. Torrential rain soaked John, blistering winds ravaged his clothing and skin. And yet despite the horrendous conditions, the Emperor stood still, screaming as loudly as his voice could let him towards the heavens, reciting scripture that he knew from memory and asking God to give his people safety. Even with the violent waves threatening to wash over the Emperor and send him overboard, Constantine watched in complete disbelief and amazement at his brother’s bravery.

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    One harrowing night passed and the storm seemed to have ended that morning. Constantine woke up and felt restless, concerned about his brother’s well being. The moment he woke up, he rushed outside to see his brother, still standing despite all odds, barely alive. Immediately sending for physicians, John VIII had become stricken with severe phthisis from guiding his fleet to safety and his undoubtedly heroic actions last night. John’s voice had all but vanished as, despite the best work of the disease, there was nothing that he could. John and a number of crew were now suffering the disease, and not long later, the Emperor was laying on his deathbed. It was an unfortunate tragedy, and news spread about the dying Emperor like wildfire across the fleet. Some of the more pious believed that this was divine punishment from God for abandoning Constantinople during its darkest hour.

    John smiled warmly at his family and many loyal nobles. With his remaining strength, he told everyone in the room that he is proud in all of them, and thanks to believing in him, the legacy of Rome would live on forever. Moments later, Emperor John VIII Palaiologos passed away at the age of 52 on February 21st 1445. He would be the only Elysian Emperor to not receive a proper burial, as after funeral rites were conducted, his body was placed on a small raft, set alight, and sent out to sea. His body wasn’t kept with the fleet due to potential risk of infection spreading along the fleet. John VIII would be made a Saint in the decades to come. Constantine XI would then be crowned as Emperor of the Romans; becoming the very last Roman Emperor.

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    Two days after the death, a charismatic man approached the new Emperor. His name was Lukas Rhangabe, a devout Orthodox captain within the army and a popular figure among one of the larger ships. A highly charismatic man, he is easily capable of inspiring his men to fight in the face of death and has fought many years against the Turks. Lukas, a sharp and charismatic mind, approached Constantine and offered to speak to him about a proposal. He had noticed the downward spiral the Empire has had in its history ever since converting to Christianity and argued of returning to the worship of the Old Gods, the Hellenic and Roman gods. After making a very strong argument about God listening but not caring about the plight of the Emperor’s people, he spoke about that the recent storm must have invoked the harsh temper of Poseidon. After the two spoken for hours, Constantine remained thanked Lukas for the interesting argument, but despite some strong points made by Lukas, he will firmly remain in the guidance of the Lord and deeply believed that things will get better for his people. Lukas smiled and understood, thanking the Emperor for the discussion before returning to his ship.
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    Despite the hardships of this grand odyssey, Constantine and the Great Fleet has spotted land on the horizon. The electric atmosphere among the populace erupted into great cheers as they sailed into a great bay. Emperor Constantine and many fellow nobles were the first to make landfall into this new and strange world. Amazed at what he’d seen, Constantine believed that he had arrived on the Elysium from ancient myth. The fabled Varangians western land had been discovered, and on February 25th 1445, the official foundation of a new nation took place. Constantine officially declared that no longer were his people Romans. No longer were they separated by ethnic and religious lines. They were no longer Greeks, Latins or other singular ethnic groups. They were Elysians! February 25th would then become an official holiday for all Elysians, the ‘Foundation Day’ for a new nation.

    Constantine_Palaiologos.jpg

    A depiction of Constantine I Palaiologos of Elysia, the Last Roman Emperor and the First Emperor of Elysia.
    Later generations will refer to the Emperor as "The Savior"

    Constantine XI of the Eastern Roman Empire would officially become Constantine I of Elysia. He smiled warmly and looked towards the sky, knowing that deep down, his brother was smiling on him and his people from heaven.

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    Facing such hardships together, Noble and Commoner alike joined in prayer together with the Emperor and held a great service in thanks to God. The rich site of the landing would become the new capital for the nation, being named Neo Konstantinoupolis in memory of their old home.
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    The price was a hefty one to pay however. Due to the great distance from their ancient homelands, this new people is no longer aware at all of what happens in their home. Now oblivious to the world world, the newfound energy of the Elysian people will now be completely focused on the new world ahead of them.
     
    Chapter 3: Homeland is where the heart is (1445 - 1451)
  • Chapter 3: Homeland is where the heart is (1445 - 1451)

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    After the Odyssey, the new Elysian people who came along with the journey had found themselves in a brand new home in a secure bay. Emperor Constantine, despite being a highly popular ruler, found it difficult to govern at first. The reason he was still in power currently, other than being a talented ruler who many new Elysians admired, was that he was ruling through strength of will alone. Constantine knew that the strength of his character is not enough to completely govern the new realm, and as such, asked for help wherever he could

    Many of the priests and deacons who came on the Odyssey were happily using their positions in the community of the newly founded New Constantinople to keep the people united in such times of hardship. Within the same year, they had fled their homeland, sailed into the unknown and arrived in a strange new world. Priests held sermons and offering aid to those who needed it, and organized community events to raise spirits. The Emperor realized that, even if the Church took some of his authority from him, he was extremely grateful for the Church for their selfless actions. In the coming years, the Church would be rewarded for their kindness

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    While mostly unknown to the new people, the area around the capital was largely unknown and foreign. This didn’t stop explorers from surveying the area with ease. Eager to explore the world around them, small members of the community left the capital to make their own home.
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    On Foundation Day, the area that the new capital was founded on had proved to have extremely rich soil that was ideal for farming. Combined with water form a nearby river and the huge stockpile of supplies taken with the Great Fleet on the Odyssey, the capital started to be built at a very rapid pace. With nearby forests providing what had felt like an endless amount of wood to build houses and other buildings, New Constantinople would start to take shape. Emperor Constantine wondered that, despite small steps, if he can transform the capital into a city of marble just like Augustus did thousands of years ago.
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    After a couple of days of unloading one of the last cargo ships, it became apparent that the fleet has taken much more damage than previously realised. The storm had torn some of the ships to ribbons, and some questioned how some of the ships were still floating. The nobility quickly entered into a debate about the usefulness of the fleet in general, as maintaining ships was an expensive issue. A consensus came to be agreed on by the nobility that the ships were too badly damaged and should be deconstructed to help build local infrastructure and fortifications. Emperor Constantine disagreed and argued to keep what was left of the fleet due to being potentially useful in the future. Some of the more influential figures within the nobility agreed and, after further debate, decided to keep the ships for their usefulness. The new nation might need them.

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    Nearby the new capital, some explorers and settlers who emigrated from the capital would go on to form the beginnings of a new city.Intellectuals who had left the capital arrived in droves and desired to make this location into a new center of learning, a place to study about this new world in peace while also studying within their own respective fields. Being located next on a rich coastline,the settlement would be named Nea Alexandria after the ancient city in Egypt, once prized as a great educational and marine center of ancient antiquity.
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    With the new world around them, the Elysians were shocked to discover several unknown plants and crops that were native to the new world. After the discovery of this new crop, several explorers would return to the capital and quickly spread information about the ways the natives in the region had cultivated these new crops in a technique called “The Three Sisters”. Almost immediately, Elysian farmers began to adapt the native’s planting technique as their own and sales for this new plant quickly increased, helping the local economy.

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    Emperor Constantine, paranoid about an invasion from hostile natives, quickly expanded onto the military. Since landing in the new world, the army would be reformed accordingly. Several scouts had noted that the natives, as far as they knew, did not have any form of access to horses of any kind and believed that they were not native in this new world. Taking advantage of it, Emperor Constantine had organized the first Thema into 4,000 infantry, many of them being former professional soldiers, trained militia or latin mercenaries who had accompanied the Elysians on their odyssey. With the new inclusion of whatever horses the Empire had, the army stood at 5000 strong. Horses, for a while, would only be very difficult to replace and even more difficult to maintain, so it was used sparingly.

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    During the Odyssey, Emperor Constantine had fallen in love with a noble woman who shared the same ship as he did, a woman named Zoe. Once the two of them had passed through the storm and arrived in the new world, both of them had quickly got married. Zoe, who was one of the lower nobility from Athens, quickly found herself as the First Empress of Elysia and in a position of great influence. One year after arriving in the new world, the Imperial couple would celebrate the birth of their first son, John, named after the late Emperor’s fallen brother who led his people to their new home in the first place.

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    With the line of succession quickly secured, a native scouting party observed the settlers partaking in a celebration and were completely petrified at seeing displays of smoke, clothing and sincere songs. Loud laughter coming from the delighted Elysians in the ceremony has led the natives to believe the new arrivals of this homeland are demon worshippers, and that the different skin colour of the Europeans are demons themselves, which drastically reduced whatever relations the Elysians had with them at the time. The natives have been treating the Elysians differently ever since, with some even acting openly hostile to any Elysian they encounter.

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    In time, several prominent men in the nation approached the Emperor and believed that the direction the army was taking was utterly foolish. Emperor Constantine, believing that current army research seemed too radical for what the Elysians were realistically able to muster, accepted their criticism and held back on maintaining army research for now.

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    Nea Aleksandria grew rapidly within two years as more settlers flocked to the growing settlement, escaping the busy life from the capital and the noise that came with it for a more tranquil life. In early 1447, the settlement had grown with investment in businesses appearing in the region. Other then the capital itself, it was seen as a more docile place to settle down and was a great place to raise a family, and as a result, the population started to climb

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    With a basic settlement now established, the Elysians were not truly home. While from a glance, the new settlement didn’t look as pretty as Rome or old Constantinople did, it was practical and got the job done with a population numbering at around 15,000. The Emperor personally overseen development projects, such as establishing a basic militia for defending the town, setting aside land for farming and clearing a local forest for wood. The overseers that run these projects requested more workers, but unfortunately, there wasn’t enough to satisfy all of them. The Emperor questioned about his priorities and ended up sending peasants to the farms. Constantine wondered about that, if an event such as a famine took place, the results it could have on the the capital would be catastrophic and could doom the new nation before it even began.

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    Local natives, after discovering the mysterious and alien Elysians, quickly started to become fearful at their unfamiliar and seemingly demonic ways. One such tribe, the Piscataway, decided to offer the Elysians sacrifices to escape their wrath. Before the Elysians could refuse the gift, they run away in fear and flee deep into the forests. Confused, the Elysians take the gift from the native tribe anyway although relations noticeably drop with the tribe proper.

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    After the establishment of the new city and the foundation of the capital, the Elysians started to expand into the area surrounding it as a buffer zone. Nea Aleksandria is further incorporated into the Empire and control of the area is solidified. Emperor Constantine is confident that one-day, the region may become apart of the cultural and economic center of the Empire and that all of Elysia will benefit from it, whatever that future could possible be.

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    The Orthodox Church, after having established itself for quite some time, finally finds the time to appoint a new leader to assist the Basileus in the capital. The candidates are both between a old cleric with a solid history as member of the church, but who has gained enemies in his life, while the enemies of the old cleric supports a younger candidate with a lest ugly past. Although it would be easy to interfere with the election of who his new religious advisor would be, Constantine figures that it would be unwise to meddle in the affairs of the church.

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    The ruling class who came with the Emperor on the fleet approached the Emperor shortly before his son’s first birthday and requested that, as sovereign, they provide them large estates befitting of their status that can be used for subsistence farming. Knowing that it would increase their own personal wealth, Emperor Constantine granted them the land for free due to their assistance in the Odyssey. The land nearby the capital was given to the nobility, and would help the capital become wealthier as a whole

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    Relations with the natives had soured to the extent that, wherever the Empire knew it or not, they would have to fight against them. The Emperor knew that the natives were hindering expansion, and one such native tribe, the Powhatan, proved impossible to negotiate with. Constantine however, faithful in the abilities of the new Thema, believed that this could provide valuable experience for the organized army. It was decided that, to send a message to other hostile native tribes and to defeat a potential enemy, war was declared on March 10th 1447. The first war in the young history of the young Elysian people.


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    As hostile natives began to raid peasants who work the wheat fields just outside of New Constantinople, Emperor Constantine issued a mixed approach to defending the city as he personally left to take command of the Thema. More guards were sent to patrol the surrounding farmland and housing outside the city walls, but with an emphasis of ensuring the safety of the city at all cost.

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    The first battle against the natives proved to be a shocking success. The Elysian army, arriving at the Powhatan capital, sent a strong impression to the natives in the region. Well over half the Powhatan army, shocked at seeing the Elysians ride strange beasts into battle with them, as well as carry alien armour and weapons, panicked when the tide of the battle turned against them. By the time that the commander of the Powhatan ordered his men to retreat, well over half their military had been killed onto the battlefield. The Battle of Powhatan had seen the Elysians take small losses, but the destruction of half of the enemy army was no-easy feat. The Emperor was celebrated on that day as a hero, both as a leader and now as a commander.

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    While advancing south while pursuing the remaining Powhatan army, a great ambush took place by another native tribe, the Tuscarora. Hiding within the forests and having much better knowledge of the surrounding area, the surprise attack took the Elysians hard. While infantry was targeted, knowledge of the Elysians horses was passed on from that Powhatan and were explicitly targeted. When Emperor Constantine was forced to lead a retreat, the damage at Moratok had taken its toll, and the Elysians cursed themselves at their overzealous behavior following their prior victory.

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    One month later, the Elysians got their revenge in the form of Odessos, a new settlement near the capital named after the Odyseey that led the Elysians. Being well-prepared for an advance by the enemy for an attempted battle for the capital, the new settlement became the site of a bloody battle. This time, the Tuscarora had nowhere to hide and Elysian superiority began to arrive. The natives right flank had collapsed completely and the Emperor ordered his men to deliver a killing blow against their enemy. When the commander attempted to flee, his army was completely encircled from all sides and quickly withered down.

    The entire Tuscarora army was completely annihilated with the exception of the commander, who was captured during the battle. As a means to send a message to the enemy that the Emperor was no longer playing around with his enemy, Saraqundett Tehaque was blinded and branded on the chest with a large orthodox cross. Saraqundett was released back to the Tuscarora, who were completely terrified at what they had seen, where the commander would eventually die from his wounds. Moratok had been avenged.

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    The Winter of 1447 received a very surprising discovery. The remnants of the Varangian colonies that were previously thought abandoned centuries ago sailed down to meet with the Elysians, and it became clear that they were the inhabitants of the North. Originally fearsome raiders, they proved to be expert traders. While her husband was away currently, Empress Zoe helped lead diplomatic delegations with the Varangians.

    With diplomats arriving in the northern Varangian colonies, they were surprised at what they found. Instead of barbaric dwellings, they found large wooden cities filled with a strange mix pale and native men. While the city felt underdeveloped, the development of such cities in almost complete isolation was nothing short of extraordinary. After some time, diplomats arrived in both of the colonies for a trade deal. One dealt with a stable supply of naval materials for naval operations in the northernmost colony of Helluland, while the other included exotic ivory, furs and oils. The colonies made it clear that this was a diplomatic play and that only one could be selected. Diplomats realized the economic potential that the southern colony offered, and in the end, accepted their offer.

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    In Powhatan, Emperor Constantine had finally finalised his occupation of the capital after 86 days of siege. By the time that the military was free to operate again, well over half nine months had passed since the start of the war.

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    In the time since landing in Elysium, local religious leaders have come together for the state to build a church dedicated to God. As the Empire is limited in resources, only basic materials such as wood and stone would have to be used for now. It is simply named the Church of St. Michael.

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    In an effort to combat a reunited native army comprised of both remaining forces of the Tuscarora and Powhatan, Emperor Constantine formerly called the Elysian milita to be raised for the first time against a large native army. The Emperor sought to use the militia to not only protect the new nation, but his original desire to expand on the military’s abilities. Now gathering 10,000 soldiers, and knowing that he was not able to sustain a prolonged loss of manpower out of fears for depopulating the nation, he sought to end battles by ending them in the most crippling way possible. Two great victories at Pamlico and another battle of Moratok ensured that the enemy suffered as much as possible.

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    With the growth of new colonies now slowing down, the city of Odessos had stabilized in late 1448, adding another rich city to the Empire. While conducting most of its activities across the nation, Odessos would become the second home to the Orthodox Church. The same year, a second church would be built in the city.

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    The same year, the crown would see a sharp tax income boost from the nobility who used the privileges to grant a healthy profit to the state.

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    In early 1449, the end of the Powhatan War occurred. While it was an Elysian victory, it was a hollow one, where many have died under service for the Empire. Nearly 7,000 had died, and it was those thousands that had to pay the heavy price of never coming home. The milita were disbanded, although the core of the original military had suffered. The manpower of the Empire would take a while to recover, and the Emperor realized that despite the gains he has made, he had secured the Empire’s place in the New World
     
    Chapter 4: The Good Emperor (1451-1460)
  • Chapter 4: The Good Emperor (1451 - 1460)

    (Authors note: I have lost several of my critical images, so the war might seem vague and confusing from a photo perspective. My apologies :()

    Within a short period of time, the Elysian state had grown from a small settlement into the foundations of a prosperous nation. This growth could be attributed to the excellent leadership of Emperor Constantine, a strong central government and a powerful military able to defend its new towns and cities. With the entirety of the Elysian bay under firm control, Seagate quickly became the second largest city in the nation and served as an example of Elysian prestige and as the model of a successful colony to the Elysians themselves. To the natives, it only served as an example of Elysian might.

    With the small but grateful Albanian population settled nearby in Ikos, the new populace of the region never truly integrated into the state in any proper way. One of the Emperor’s advisors visited the region and informed the Emperor that while the Albanians were incredibly grateful, they disliked Elysian society at large and largely interacted among themselves. Puzzled, Emperor Constantine didn’t raise further questions about them. If they were loyal to the crown and the Empire, that was really what mattered. Loyalty in these times mattered more then anything, especially if the Emperor had to rely on others for help.
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    The Empire as of 1451

    The Empire, while securing the Elysian bay, was still developing and in its infancy. Emperor Constantine carefully placed a guiding hand to help the Elysian nation take its first steps. The first steps, as always, were important as the Empire was always important despite how flushed Elysia was from the Powhatan War. Sooner of later, once the Empire was able to walk on its own, Constantine came to a revelation that it would happen the day he was on his deathbed. He worried about an Empire without him. He had already done so much, but he was worried about not doing the right thing. He was already in his late 40’s, and with a renewed sense of vigor, Constantine worked tirelessly to strengthen Elysia. Every day to him was treated like it was his last, and it drove the Emperor to work harder with morbid curiosity and with newfound energy.

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    The province of Methenae in the Empire’s far northwest was formerly integrated into the Empire. With the region supporting a wide variety of vegetation and from its distance from the capital, new colonists flocked to the region in droves and were inspired to start new lives.

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    With the homeland firmly established around the Elysian Bay, Emperor Constantine and anyone within a position of power in the Empire knew that the Empire must extend outwards for future expansion efforts. During a meeting within a council among the small Elysian senate, explorers had suggested to the Emperor and senators to carve pathways through the large Appalachian mountains. While it was a daunting project, its benefits of greatly increasing trade and transport of merchants, colonists and armies through the mountains would be increased drastically. Emperor Constantine ended the senate meeting, saying that one day, Elysia will be consider the prospect.
    15tfyeHg9_VLzHhCFZy4dsWW_u5iSzYEnJosLvgHHovOCbxN7JeskgSXrx1exh3nm0highG8sLN8lUc_i-FJboq63vxNqncGhT333q8txxcpwMJ8uZub9lwFnjqEHM124fCjThcq


    In seven years of landing in Elysium, New Constantinople had grown tremendously. From an original population of 15,000 upon landing, seven years of growth in all aspects had led the city to nearly double in population in almost ten years even despite eager colonists leaving the city. By Foundation Day in 1452, New Constantinople had a modest population of 24,000, Seagate had a population of 14,000 and many of the larger settlements within the homelands numbered around 5000 to 7000.
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    As inward as the Elysians once were, the destiny of the Empire now focused on looking outward. The continent of Elysium was unlike anything ever seen in Europe, with strange wildlife and creatures abundant everywhere. Its rich farmlands and rivers also allowed the natives and inhabitants of the continent to have increased crops during the seasons. The destiny of the nation couldn’t be contained forever, and on Early 1453, Elysia started outward expansion into neighboring provinces.

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    Emperor Constantine, always the military-centric mind that he was, reformed the military once again. The new military were now organized of semi-professional soldiers, some being former mercenaries who joined on the Odyssey, who go out on campaign in exchange for the right to collect taxes on certain properties. Decently equipped and with decent discipline, the new model Elysian theme was effective but prone to unreliability under bad leadership during wartime. The Emperor reorganized the Theme and, with a strong economy and growing population, doubled the size of the military to a standing army 10,000 semi-professional soldiers. The Emperor smiled in pride, feeling happiness knowing that his reforms for the Elysian military could lead to something like the ancient Marian Reforms should his reforms go unhindered.

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    After awhile, it became less efficient for colonization efforts to be relied upon by uncontrolled and spontaneous motivation among the civilians who disrespected the natives territory. By the start of 1453, colonization officially became organized, regulated and directed by the government, giving the natives a sigh of relief with a huge amount of friction being removed by the state. It did considerably slow down the development of new settlements, but new settlements were now more controlled and regulated by the state.
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    The Orthodox Church, a pillar of the Elysian realm, had long provided spiritual guidance for the benefit of the Emperor and the state, in return for the great services offered by the church, no manor, monastery or church in the state is to pay any taxes to the nation. Even when times grew dire and the state had to cover expenses, Emperor Constantine firmly maintained that the state will find the money elsewhere and respected the autonomy of the church, even when some wished to violate it temporarily.

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    Shortly after dealing with the church, the clergy had been completely reformed to become more accustomed to Elysian traditions and lifestyles rather than Eurocentric ones. The reformed priests of the realm would offer more guidance to those who needed them and would even accompany and help encourage the development of new settlements. The church in Elysia was now here to stay, and for now, the current bishop of Elysia would oversee that transition.

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    In the colonial province of Ditaon, natives in the region started to move out of their tribes and into the cities of the region by the hundreds! This surprised many in Elysian society, even the Imperial family, and it was seen as a welcome change. Perhaps the Elysians weren’t seen as ‘Demons’ by every native afterall.

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    With the church becoming more influential in the Elysian state, monasteries are growing at an unprecedented speed, with such growth becoming so fast and in such order that conflicts have arisen by the governor of Ivos who felt that Seagate’s monasteries were encroaching on the cities urban territory and hindered growth in the long term. Central authorities were eventually called in to settle the dispute, and despite helping the monastery would see their gratitude, the chance to give more land for the state proved too attractive. After visiting Seagate, the problem became even more apparent and sided solely with the governor. The church in the region became upset that their territorial rights were violated, but were forced to stop or slow down the growth of monasteries in the region to give the city a chance to grow.

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    The decision to bring the documents to recreate the legendary Greek-Fire was valued as a fruitful decision for the Empire so far. Although it had seen little use by the Elysians since they arrived, it had proven especially useful in warding off native raids and attacks although mainly as a terror weapon. It was also seen as useful to throw off any potential Viking raids along the Elysian coasts, which occurred regardless of how high the relations were with them. Eventually, it was only a matter of time when the stockpile of Naphtha, a critical ingredient for the creation of Greek Fire, started to run out, forcing the Empire to ration whatever supply they had left.

    With the supply of Greek Fire decreasing, high ranking military officials forced the Emperor and his small senate to locate a reliable and easily accessible source of naphtha and quickly out of fears to being open for invasion. It’s use within the alchemical circles for its various uses also stressed the Empire to locate a new source, and soon, natives began to speak of places of black liquid rising from cracks in the ground to the north-east of the capital, and even the story of an island where entire lakes of naphtha flow. This was dismissed as nothing more of a fantasy, and nothing less.

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    In Ditaon, like all Elysian provinces, the colonists have come to an understanding with the natives. Once the language barrier was broken, trade started to occur between the Elysians and natives, both helped one another or were helped themselves. Many of them in the area adopted parts of the Greek language, and now even marriages were seen as possible. The story of Ditaon inspired many in Elysia, with the Emperor smiling and commentating how the people of Ditaon are good people.

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    The Tuscarora, still on the minds of the Elysians following their actions in the Powhatan War and the defeat at Moratok, were seen as a symbolic enemy to the Empire. A victory against them was seen as an important victory for Elysia, as well as a strong display of power against the other natives in the region. Knowing that they are in a tough place, the Tuscarora led a strong coalition against the Elysians. But with a sense of vengeance on his mind, Emperor Constantine led his people to a new war for Elysia. In 1454, the moment the truce had ended against the tribe, war was declared to rid the enemies of the Empire. The strong but distant Onondaga and the neighboring Susquehannock joined the war on the native effort. Led by the competent Theophilos Mikrulakes, Emperor Constantine was confident in victory.

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    The Tuscarora had seemed unprepared and almost didn’t even realise that war had broken out til their native messenger had arrived only an hour prior to the arrival of the strong Elysian army. The resulting battle was ended in a massacre and the entire Tuscarora army was wiped out. Surprisingly, the previously confirmed deceased Saraqundett commanded the Tuscarora army.

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    The new threat of invasion came from the north, as the enemies of Elysia united under one singular army. Completely outnumbered, both sides clashed in the biggest battle in the war in Methenae, leading to a surprising Elysian victory by Theophilos. The victory would inspire many future soldiers for years to come.

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    In the middle of the war, a renowned minstrel recently crossed the borders of the nation and bring joy to those who hear him. Some of the nobility spoke to the Emperor, saying that only the Emperor could listen to such wonderful music. The Emperor disagreed and allowed the minstrel to go where his heart wishes. The minstrel would then go town to town in Elysia, playing his music and spreading joy, and even collected quite the audience in the streets of the capital and Atlapolis.

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    Not far out from Atlapolis would see another crushing Elysian victory, seeing en entire Onondaga army wiped out.

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    Once again, Odessos seen conflict, and the Elysians completely crushed whatever hopes the Tuscarora had left in their military, disgracing them and silencing the critics that doubted Elysian steel and strength.

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    Feeling eager, more settlers flocked to the colonies. Even during wartime, populations of growing towns and cities started to climb.

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    The Albanians of Elysia expanded once again to control another province, a previously empty one in the far north of the Empire. The natives around the area didn’t complain as the Albanians settle, fortify and isolate themselves from the Empire as much as possible. In annoyance, the Emperor commented that their lack of engagement with the rest of the Empire greatly annoyed him, and even thought about why he should have let them settle in Elysia with the Elysian Greeks in the first place if they aren't going to contribute to the betterment of the Empire on a wider scale.

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    After two years of fighting, the war came to a close with a strong Elysian victory, and the Tuscarora were conquered and annexed into the Empire. The clergy flocked into the new territories, getting to work into rebuilding the region as an Orthodox region to the south. One figure that secured the region was Nathheldaneh Atquanachuke, a Tuscarorian nobleman who had converted to Orthodoxy many years prior. Originally shunned for abandoning the tribes old beliefs, the noble now had quite the influence as a local leader of the Tuscaroran subjects and helped the Empire reduce tensions in the area.

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    Once again, Elysia experienced a boom to its new settlements as a surge of enthusiasm rushed through the Empire. Entire families started to move into new regions, helping the many towns in the provinces grow. The rush couldn’t have come at any better time, as Elysia’s dominance in the region was now assured.

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    In times of ceremony, being able to attend the court of the Emperor was one of the best ways to influence him into making favorable policies that benefited the nobility. An elaborate court life was experienced among the nobility, and even limited the power of the nobility to plot against Emperor Constantine. Denying their ability to be apart of the daily life of the Emperor would only make the resentful and deny them their own privileges. While expensive, the nobility flourished at the treatment they got from celebrations.
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    Originally from lower nobility, the Empress Zoe was well known for her kindness to her friends to please her husband as well as she could. During a recent trip to Sydes, Zoe seen the poorest peasants suffering with her own eyes and had been working on a plan to help them. In order to help them, she needed funds from the treasury. With her husband's blessing, the kindness of the Empress was shown among the peasantry and she was beloved by all of Elysian society. There were two heirs to the throne after Constantine, Ioannes born in 1446, and Manuel in 1452, named after Constantine’s father and former Roman Emperor, Manuel II. She also announced personally that there would be another addition to the royal family, announcing another pregnancy after several years of trying for another child. This would likely be the last child between the extremely popular Imperial couple, due to the ages of both of them respectively.

    18533-15-Raffaello_LaSignoraVelata.jpg

    Empress Zoe Palaiologos, one of the most influential Basilissa in Elysian history, well known for her kindness and beauty.

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    The economy started to grow rapidly thanks to excellent management by the Emperor and his economic advisors, and the benefits were really starting to be shown.

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    Emperor Constantine, like many rulers of the age, wanted to surround himself with great minds that can debate the secrets of himself. While some excell at debates, some are more suited for a more solitary life. There can be times rivalries, and can be a beneficial thing for any thinker, scientist or inventor. One surprising figure came from the ruling family itself, as a distant cousin of the Emperor, Ioustinos Palaiologos, had a great mind for mathematics but lacked any sort of real social skill, and some within the court argued that the Emperor’s reputation suffers for letting him speak. Ioustinos also had a noticeable stutter and struggled to communicate normally. Not wanting to sell-out a member of his own family, Constantine allowed his brother to talk and research instead of allowing ‘bullies’ mock his speech.

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    More local natives of a new colony, named after one of the greatest Eastern Roman Emperors, have willingly becoming assimilated into the population of the colony. The population increased and the natives were treated like family, further increasing the reputation of the Elysians as benevolent caretakers when other hostile natives seen them as pale demons.

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    The Empire as of 1460

    By 1460, the Empire had exploded in size in only a short amount of time thanks to the strong leadership of Emperor Constantine, who was becoming known as a kind and just ruler. Surrounded on all sides by natives, the Emperor knew that the next decade would likely become violent as more of the warhawkish members of the senate argued for more expansion, while more pacifist senate members argued to cease with further wars for a while.

    Now at the age of 55, the Empire would likely find the coming years to be difficult. Should the right actions take place, the Empire will find itself in complete dominance. One wrong slip and the house of cards that has taken fifteen years to build can come crashing down.
     
    Chapter 5: Savages, Savages! (1460 - 1470)
  • Chapter 5: Savages, Savages! (1460 - 1470)

    1460 would become one of the most pivotal years in Elysian History. Within the last decade, the homelands were barely made up together by the strong and inspired Elysians, who within their first few years of existence, nearly lost their first war. Following a strong expansionist path after stabilizing the realm, the Empire had doubled in size in just nine astonishing years. The population was skyrocketing and the economy was growing by the day. New towns and settlements were propping up all across the frontier, although it was largely the heartlands that were truly benefiting from the newfound wealth in the state. For the average Elysian, living conditions in the countryside was surprisingly adequate and comfortable. In some of the larger towns, it was the perfect atmosphere to raise a family and make a living. The safety provided by town militias and the growing military in the capital. A majority of the new settlers worked on an agricultural life, which entailed back-breaking manual labor, but some of the settlers were fortunate to own their own lands.

    Life in the capital was far different. Drastic and sudden growth had led the city to be unable to cope with such a change, and as a result, was completely opposite from life in the smaller towns and the frontier. New Constantinople’s massive population density had led the city to become incredibly dirty and disease ridden, especially in the poorer regions of the city. It was still a place of magnificent fortune and potential. For a noble or a merchant, if you could make it in the capital, you can make it anywhere in the entire Empire. The Emperor’s current residence, in the southeast of New Constantinople, was a stone palace that was quickly constructed upon arrival in Elysium with a vast amount of stone taken one the ships during the Odyssey. Emperor Constantine, sat in the throne-room of the small palace, contemplating his next choices. The Emperor sat in silence, knowing that if he was not careful, many good men would perish. But it was a sacrifice he needed to make for the benefit of the nation.

    It was no longer time for the natives to bring the fight to Elysia.

    It was time to bring the fight to them.
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    Nine years had done wonders for Elysia. This success was not without cost, as many good men had died in service for Elysia to protect their families and friends. Regardless, the growth was staggering and it showed. Once the population had grown to such an extent that it was economically possible to support it, a new Thema was raised at Seagate. It proved to be expensive to support two standing thema with manpower and decent equipment. But it would prove to be well worth it.

    The tribes to the north, all of whom had been to incredibly hostile since the birth of Elysia, were now acting more and more aggressive to the more pale-skinned Elysians. It had been within their reputation to see the Elysians as ‘demons’, but now relations were at their breaking point. The northern tribes did their best to alienate the Elysians as much as possible, such as cutting off all diplomatic and economic ties to the Elysians. But soon, news began to make its way to the capital, things were clearly worse than previously expected
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    Tribes in the north were becoming more and more xenophobic to the Elysians. Settlers who ignored warnings in the region to explore and perhaps settle there were violently evicted from the region. Traders and entire groups of settlers were sometimes found murdered by natives and left their bodies to rot in the wilderness. The seemingly backward yet numerous natives worked together from tribe to tribe with strong alliances aimed for only one thing. To take back their homes from the ‘pale faced demon savages’ that were the Elysians.

    Emperor Constantine and the senate soon found themselves in the center of the hostile natives. Allowing innocent Elysians to die at the hands of the natives was simply unacceptable. Constantine made a passionate speech to the senate for a declaration of war against this ‘northern coalition’, which inflamed the dormant jingoistic desires of the senate. The anger of the Emperor and the Elysian people was starting to burn into an aggressive wildfire, and the senate universally agreed to destroy the native coalition before the coalition would harm another innocent Elysian.

    On January 30th 1461, Elysia marched to war.

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    The first battle of the war would immediately see a devastating Elysian victory in Manahoac. The battle would see a young but talented commander led the Empire to victory that day, Romanos Boumbalis. While sustaining light losses among the infantry, a destructive cavalry charge led by the promising general himself obliterated the complete left-flank of the native army. Even with Horses, native warfare struggled to adapt to counter the seeming unstoppable Elysians.

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    Almost immediately, the Susquehanna experienced a sharp defeat by Boumbalis. Immediately breaking the siege of Manahoac, the commander would pursue the native army through hostile terrain, exhausting the natives as much as possible before engaging the remainder of their army and utterly destroying them.

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    Emperor Constantine made sure that this campaign with one of the natives would be one of the last that would seriously hinder Elysia in any specific way. He had given his commanders extremely strict policy to destroy any and all forms of resistance, and if possible, eliminate the enemy completely. Thus far, his commanders have stood closely to his word.

    In this current decade of violence, the Imperial Family celebrated the birth of the final member of the Imperial heirdom, giving birth to a healthy son named Alexios, after the great Emperor who’s originally brought the Empire to some of its former greatness only temporarily, and who’s rediscovered documents saved the former Romans and allowed them to embark on their Odyssey.

    Expansionist Policies dominated all aspects of politics within the decade, with many of them being jingoistic in nature. The government had adjusted accordingly to deal with such a sudden growth, streamlining lengthy bureaucratic process to incorporate new territories, either by the pen or by the sword if necessary.

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    The conquest of Manahoac was seen as a celebrated victory. The distant Ponca abandoned the war effort after it’s two other allies were crushed and occupied, abandoning its allies in an attempt to save themselves. Only two years after the beginning of the war, peace was signed and the Empire had dealt with two hostile native tribes.

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    The peace would be short lived as, with the hostile tribes nearby the homelands dealt with, the real enemy could now be dealt with. The main coalition, taken aback by the effectiveness of the Elysian military, hesitated to face down against the ‘pale demons’. This hesitation was all that was needed, and six months after their last victory, war was declared once again. But instead of small gains, Emperor Constantine told the senate that, as Emperor, he was going to do everything in his power to ensure that this upstart confederation would never threaten Elysia again.

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    And success on the battlefield only reinforced the word and authority of the Emperor. Boumbalis, would once again obliterate the native armies that they came across. Like the previous war, Constantine instructed his generals on the same policy as before. Destroy any armed opposition. The light losses in the war, especially when both themes were united in battle, proved important to conserve manpower.

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    The isolationist Albanians, in the middle of a large war, expanded their control to include another province in Skyea. The Onondaga generously loaned their armed forces to the Mahican, hoping to use their numerical superiority to try and overrun the Elysians when possible, unofficially entering the war. The Pequot, trying to outmaneuver the Elysians and attempt to launch a direct attack on Sydes, failed miserably and was annihilated by Boumbalis.

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    The autumn of 1465 would see the decisive Battle of Skyea, when both the combined armies of the Elysians and the Natives would merge and fight. While managing to get the upper hand for the first time against Elysian calvary, the natives fortunes would quickly vanish. Romanos Boumbalis ‘s leadership and tactical advantage, combined with the quality of the Elysian troops, rapidly destroyed the ability of the native confederacy to fight for prolonged periods of time. By the time that the natives began to retreat, roughly 40 to 45% of their combined army was destroyed.

    portrait-of-a-man-terris-1510(2).jpg!Large.jpg

    Romanos Boumbalis (1442 - 1466). While instrumental in securing Elysian victory in the Great Coalition War, the
    talented commander would only pass away only a year after the war from natural causes.

    From a native perspective, the confederacy was fighting against a foreign and alien invader. The combined xenophobia between the tribes, all united under a common cause, gave the natives a mindset that while they had been the aggressors before the war in their actions, they believed themselves to be the helpless defenders. What happened in Skyea completely shattered that image, and it changed the minds of the natives far beyond the borders of Elysia and the natives. The Elysians, as mysterious and unique as they were, in kindness or in anger, were now a permanent feature in Elysium. After the war, a great triumph was held to celebrate the victory in Skyea.

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    After Skyea, after sieging enemy tribes, Manhattan became the last-stand of the whatever was left of the Confederacy. With no surviving commander left alive after the events of Skyea, the Battle of Manhattan was an easy victory. The native Pequot tribe, having lost so much during the war, lost completely everything against the Elysians. The entire capable male within the tribe was killed during the war, and after a victory in Manhattan by Elysia, the spirit of the Pequot was broken. After Elysian merchants and settlers arrived in Manhattan, they became the dominant culture in the region seemingly overnight as the Pequot became a minority.

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    The overwhelming victory of Elysia led the war to be known as the ‘Great Coalition War’, and reality of peace was incredibly harsh for the conquered. The conquered tribes, all of which were completely humiliated in the war, had their spirits broken. The territory of the Empire had increased in size once again, and under the strong Imperial government in the capital, the regions were integrated without incident. Many of the nobility and the civilians, so astonished at the accomplishments of their Emperor, wished to crown their ruler as Constantine the Great of Elysia, but the Emperor humbly refused such a title. The Emperor would write in his memoirs that he would reject the title not because he wasn’t a weak emperor, nor a strong one, but a proud one who loved his people.

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    Christianity, since the Elysians arrived on the continent, would become an important part of people’s lives in the region. Emperor Constantine, like his ancient namesake, was eager to spread the true faith to another pagan group of people. A vast majority of the conquered, natives who admired the kindness of the Elysians, or the integrated natives started to convert to Orthodoxy slowly. The faith would prove popular to curious natives who venture into Elysian territories and, unexpectedly, were treated like their own. Xenophobia of the natives by Elysians would largely vanish by the decade, but not without the Empire having grown to such an extent that Elysian supremacy was well assured. Shortly after the conquered regions were incorporated, eager missionaries would head into the regions to spread the word of Christ across the East.

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    The church, being influential in this period, owned a large amount of land and it had brought a great deal of wealth to the Orthodox church. Some claimed that the church was corrupted by this great wealth and that greed would prevent the Church to perform its holy missions. When confronted about this, Constantine supported the Church Authorities in carrying out its missions.

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    In the north, the region would see the people of the northeast unite into one powerful collective people, the Iroquois. The largest known native confederation in territory, the unification of the area was known to be inspired by the Elysians. While all independent tribes and people, all of them were united by similar languages, culture and were all descended from Proto-Iroquoian people and languages. While traditionally retaining most of its culture, some elements of its culture, particularly the youth, started to become more open to the nearby Elysians and their culture, while harsh elders usually kept interactions with the Elysians at an arm's length whenever possible.

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    Now becoming an old man, Emperor Constantine was relieved when news came from the north about the discovery of naturally occurring naptha wells in Elysia. Native Pathfinders and explorers discovered that the local natives had been using the substance to help waterproof their canoes for centuries. It was, currently, located in the centre of tribal lands and the Empire simply couldn’t afford to fight another war again for a while out of fear of provoking neighboring tribes. Constantine knew that, in order to safeguard future production, it would be wise to find another more accessible source.

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    Along the frontier, the colonies thrived. In the new settlement of Neauios, the colonial company responsible for the area has arranged marriages of women, most of them widows who had lost their loved ones in the recent ‘Great Coalition War’, to travel to the colony to ensure that families are started. Many widows moved to the area and quickly found love, which helped the fledgling settlement develop in the south.

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    Another discovery that Paenes, a new frontier region, had rich fertile soil that was perfect for agriculture. As farmers started to enter into the region, the results began to speak for themselves as higher crop yields started to appear.

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    And in ten years, another great growth of the Elysian nation had seen unprecedented growth. As a new Thema was raised to protect the growing south, the Elysians were well and truly seen as a prosperous realm. It was known for its kindness to those who accepted them, and for its power for those who wish to make Elysia its enemy. Emperor Constantine was seen as a hero to the Elysian people, although the aging ruler was starting to feel the effects of his own mortality take hold. As Foundation Day was celebrated on 1470, the Emperor smiled happily and knew that his brother and all the Roman Emperor’s before him were celebrating his reign. He stood in the courtyard of the palace and smiled, standing next to a tree as he looked towards the bay.

    It was a surreal experience. If he had stayed back in Europe, his fate would have been sealed early and his reign could have been the very last of the Empire’s. But yet, God smiled on him and gave him a chance for him and the Greeks to become something greater than just Greeks or Romans. It was, as the first Elysian ruler, he was watching an age of history pass right before his eyes.

    And deep down, he loved it.
     
    Chapter 6: In this sign... (1470-1476)
  • Chapter 6: In this sign... (1470-1476)

    Decade after decade, having arrived with thousands of desperate subjects, the old imperial Roman house of Palaiologos took a refugee fleet and fled new virgin homeland of unseen prosperity. After nearly three decades of arriving, the thousands who landed in the new world built the foundations of a great city who’s growing magnificence would propel the new people to new heights. Instead of facing certain doom in Europe, the Elysians were the masters of a new destiny.

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    As time had passed since the arrival of the Elysians, there were people on the Great Fleet from a more cosmopolitan background, and had retained many of their old cultural traditions. The Greeks, or Hellenes, formed the core of the exiled fleet and soon, the majority of the armed forces, scholars, clergy and government. The fleet however, also contained other ethnic groups, with a sizeable minority of Latins who had been living within the former Eastern Roman Empire, and were largely French and Italian mercenaries or merchants who joined in the odyssey. Other ethnic groups that participated among the Odyssey came from among Eastern Europe, with small numbers of Slavic participants of the Odyssey, and curiously, a tiny Jewish population also sailed on the odyssey. Largely, as of recent times, the arrival of the Albanians have become a noticeable impact on the Empire with several large provinces having large minorities in the region.

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    Cultural fragmentation, after years of isolation and life among the natives, started to become noticable for quite some time. While the new people of the continent called themselves Elysians, they had now completely embraced it. As the lingua franca of the Empire for quite sometime, the Greek language and culture was starting to break apart as it was influenced by the native world around them. Now speaking a new Elysian language and wearing Elysian clothes, the melting pot of cultures within the Empire was merging into a singular identity.

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    Many of the native peoples within the Empire, known as ‘Barbaroi’, hadn’t taken the massive expansion of conquest and colonization without a fight. Many prominent chieftains and barbaroi had formed a council of sorts on the far outskirts of the Empire and demand greater autonomy and to continue to practise their religious customs, all the while a growing population of natives were converting to Christianity. While their numbers are high within the colonies, they had succeeded in making their presence known, but the barbaroi are weak in the Elysian-dominated government.

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    The Uniter of the Iroquois Confederacy had passed away from old age, and the newest successor is the young and much more approachable Chief Soonongjoowau Hostayutwa. Almost immediately, relations between the Ironquois and the Elysians improved drastically as the two nations entered a blossoming partnership that soon, turned into friendship. December 1470 would have the first native alliance between Elysia and a Barbaroi nation. Immediately after the alliance was formally signed, the Elysians donated a large sum of gold to Chief Soononjoowau as a token of their gratitude.

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    Horses, as useful as they are within Elysia, were still a rare commodity brought by the Romans from the East. Emperor Constantine, as an unofficial state policy, has since tried to protect them from harm as much as possible. Horse-breeding became a surprisingly lucrative business for those able to maintain equines of their own as many of them were purchased by the nobility or the military. The nobility, during wartime, protected their finest and strongest horses with heavy chainmail like the Cataphracts of old, and has allowed them to command troops on the battlefield with ease and join on calvary charges without the risk of injury for the rider nor the animal. Largely in early Elysian warfare, a well-timed cavalry charge led to astronomical losses for a hostile Barbaroi army, and were used sparingly. Emperor Constantine, seeing the immense success that this development has led to the military so far, encouraged it as a means to help breed more horses for the Empire and to always gain the upper-edge against a native army.

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    The next target for expansion was the Monongahela. Emperor Constantine, now becoming an old man, wanted to secure the Empire’s future in one singular task that he wished to accomplish before he died, securing the Appalachian Mountains as a natural border. If this could be accomplished, the Empire would be set within an excellent position for his three sons to rule from. With this in mind, the Empire began an aggressive expansion in the area to secure the mountains.

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    The Monongahela and the Shawnee were both annihilated in what was starting to become a common stereotype of campaigns against natives, nothing short of total victory. With the Elysians outclassing any opposing army in any aspect, battles were known to be three things. Short, violent, and one-sided. The war was quickly ended in less than eight months, as by the end of 1471, peace was settled and Monongahela was annexed into the Empire.

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    On August 15th 1471, Emperor Constantine had a talk among a black-haired noble of the Imperial House, a young yet extremely talented man named Belisarius, after the legendary commander. While well known across the palace for his masterful fencing abilities as well being in superb physical condition, Belisarius was completely fascinated about ancient Hellas. Within his coming of age, the talented young man was gaining traction within Imperial politics, notably within the military where he selectively recruited his own personal retune. While those in the court were fearful, his minor status prevented the growth of his retune from getting too large. Knowing this, Belisarius trained his own forces day and night to turn every single man into the most disciplined and skilled warriors on the entire continent.

    On that day, Belisarius approached his elder relative to make his intentions clear. He had come towards the council of the Emperor to support an exhibition to lands beyond the Kyklades, hearing rumours from Barbaroi about cities far to the south made of gold, ruled by vengeful gods. Although never directly said, Belisarius stated that he intended to leave with his own personal retune to embark on this journey if the Emperor liked it or not. Constantine smiled at Belisarius, memories flashing back in his mind about seeing the same spark in the young man’s eyes as his when he arrived in Elysia. The Emperor accepted to endorse his younger relative, largely as a means of seeing what else this fascinating new world had in store. Many council members had a sigh of relief, knowing that a potential thorn in their sides could no longer interfere within the council’s businesses.

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    Three weeks later, Belisarius arrived in a new land he had called New Laconya. Already showing himself as a highly capable commander, the young man had seized the coast and established “New Sparta” after the ancient city of legend. Belisarius, along with his extremely loyal and disciplined forces, embraced the new Spartan lifestyle, with Belisarius renaming himself as ‘Leonidas’ and sought to mimic the great hero by conquering the new barbaroi lands there at all odds. When the Emperor heard the news, it came to a shock to the Elysians but it was not unexpected. Constantine chuckled to himself, knowing that this could result in the future of a new nation.

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    Immediately, in order to legitimise the new state, the rechristened Leonidas married a distant cousin of the Imperial family. The new nation to the south came to be known as Spartakon, with once the conquest of the region came to be completed, the Spartans to the south would work to focus on building a nation.

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    Once again, with the prospect of free land to claim their own futures and the growth of the Elysians across the New World, there was a surge of new settlers in the frontier colonies.
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    Even with the growth of the nation and the fortunes that came with it, the Dynatoi of the region approached the Emperor to take action against what he claims as a systematic abuse of power against the people in the area. As Emperor of Elysia, it was his personal responsibility to protect his people, and not doing-so would make the Emperor appear weak and harm the long term growth of the province. The Emperor strictly chastised the landowner, and while the Dynatoi were not happy about such a power member of their ranks being spoken down upon, the nobility of Elysia needed a reminder that even with their privileges, nobody was above the Emperor.

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    As farms started to become constructed in the vast fields of Paenes, the entire province began to boom as the extremely rich soil and giant areas made the region an ideal place to grow crops on. In the region, the massive food surplus in the region began to provide much more than needed, and due to the success in the region, the population thrived in the area.
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    A month prior to the boom of Paenes, the troublesome Mahican were dealt with by the strong Elysian armies in their homelands. Almost immediately during the battle, the Mahican commander made a fatal misjudgement and paid for it in a devastating defeat comparable to Skyea. However, the complete obliteration of the enemy army received little publicity back in Elysia due to the war only being small in-scale. Just after the war, the Mahican territories were annexed into the growing Elysian realm. But back in the capital, things suddenly took a turn for the worst...

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    John I of Elysia, the eldest son of Constantine. A timid boy growing up, the young man was seen as an administrative genius due to his very sharp mind and attention for detail.

    During a stroll of the garden in the Imperial Palace, the aging Emperor suddenly collapsed to the ground. As physicians and palace attendants quickly flocked to assist the poor ruler, the health of the Emperor deteriorated quickly. Members of the royal family within the palace at the time surrounded Constantine as he was taken to his quarters, but there wasn’t much to be done. Half an hour later, Emperor Constantine I, breathed his last and passed away peacefully at the age of 67.

    Once news of the passing of the Emperor was made public, the entire realm entered a period of mourning for three days. The Emperor, both loved by his people and even respected by his enemies, was truly seen as the savior of the Elysian people and would receive the title by later generations. As one of his final acts, Constantine had reformed the highly outdated succession laws from the Roman periods to a more formalised western form of succession. After the period of mourning, the eldest son of Constantine, the 26 years old John took the throne as Emperor John I of Elysia. Previously a popular figure within the Imperial administration, it was promised that his reign would be characterised by reform.

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    In the Norse realms to the north, hostilities between the two realms had broken out into an all-out war. Both of the Kingdoms had gone to war for the same reason, unification of the Norse Kingdoms to see who was the true heir of Erikson. The new Emperor watched this war with interest, intrigued to see its outcome.

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    Once John had taken the throne, the new Emperor now implemented a major characteristic point of his reign. With the incorporation of new territories, either through peaceful means through the frontier colonies, or through conquest, the process of civilizing the province always came as an distant thought rather than priority, as unintegrated Barbaroi had a means to rebel. While cultural assimilation into Elysia was never much of a focus in his father's reign, John reorganised the process of integration completely.

    John reorganised the policies of integration and conducted the first steps of Elysianization, modeled on the ancient policies of Romanization. Acculturation, integration and assimilation became a focus on civilizing new regions. All future Emperors after John would adopt this policy, spreading Elysian culture far across its borders.
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    After a war against the Cherokee, the Empire had grown far too quickly to maintain the frontiers against the more numerous Barbaroi. Rather than face the different means of subduing the hostile province, the Cherokee would lose 75% of their territory and become a vassal state of Elysia. In exchange for becoming semi-independent, Elysia generously started to rebuild the conquered state and allowed early developments of Elysianization in time.

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    As Elysia transitioned from one ruler to another, the Empire had secured a steady source of Naphtha, with a small settlement being set up nearby the Naphtha fields with merchants and artisans of all kinds moving in to supply the miners and their families, along with soldiers to defend against native raids. Extracting naphtha became a very dangerous profession as many were injured or killed by exposure to toxic fumes while siphoning and transporting the substance, but also one that the Empire rewarded highly. Local administrators who oversee the process and organise transports of the substance quickly became incredibly wealthy and influential people in the region. As the substance would be processed and distributed to major cities throughout the empire, Greek Fire became another instrument of Elysia as it made its way to glory.

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    The Norse under the service of the Empire had earned and deserved a fearsome reputation for themselves over the past few years, with their courage and sheer ferocity on the battlefield helping the Empire achieve victory against all odds against the far more numerous Barbaroi. In the capital, their considerable influence became notable when Emperor John I made some volunteers apart of his bodyguard like the Varangians of old. This caused the Dynatoi of New Constantinople, highly concerned at having barbarian foreigners so close to the Emperor, to be fearful of their influence if left unchecked. While the concerns of the nobility hasn’t been validated or yet to be seen, there is no doubt that the power of the Varangians would continue to grow if left unchecked.

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    By 1476, the Emperor had only made small territorial gains under the new Emperor but had become stronger internally. With the administration becoming more streamlined and less bureaucratic and byzantine in nature. With the great founder having passed away a few years prior, time will tell what sort of Emperor that John would be.
     
    Last edited:
    Chapter 6.5: In Memoriam/Constantine I
  • Why have you chosen to use English versions of your monarchs's names, rather than their native Greek ones?
    (I have used English names largely for ease of reading and writing. Although this will not be the case for future monarchs with more complex names.)



    Constantine I “The Savior” Palaiologos
    Lived: February 8th 1405 - November 2nd 1472
    Despot of the Morea: 1443 - 1445
    Eastern Roman Emperor: February 21st - February 25th 1445
    Emperor of Elysia: 1445 - 1472


    220px-Constantine_XI_Palaiologos_miniature.jpg

    Constantine I became a huge figure in the history of Elysia, pivotal within the success of the Odyssey’s journey across the Atlantic and his own rulership upon ascending to the throne as the first Emperor of the Empire. Despite the hardships of the fledgling nation, Constantine’s leadership abilities in all aspects allowed for rapid growth in the New World and the establishment of Elysia as a large regional power within a short amount of time. His reign is known as the “Palaeologan Renaissance”

    Born in Old Constantinople, the eighth of ten children to Manuel II Palaiologos and Helena Dragaš, he was extremely fond of his mother growing up. Although little was known about him prior to the early 1440’s and with the glories of his future reign of Elysia all in the distant future, Constantine served as John VIII’s regency in Constantinople (1437-1440) during his absence at the Council of Florence in Italy. As the Eastern Roman Empire’s prospects of survival continued to decline over the years, the political climate of the city among with the rediscovery of the ancient documents of Alexios led Constantine and John to flee on the odyssey.

    On Foundation Day, the political community of the realm was anything but united as authority had only existed behind the Emperor and a collection of nobles. An overwhelming amount of the fleet had sworn loyalty to Constantine directly through his actions and leadership, giving the new emperor a position to model his new government with ease.

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    Expansion of Elysia under the reign of ‘Palaeologan Renaissance’ lasted for twenty seven years, and the success of the reign of Emperor Constantine led the new Elysians to supremacy on the Elysium Eastern Seaboard. The undeniable highpoint of his reign was the period of expansion from 1460s onward til the end of his life, where his strong leadership of the Elyisan realm led to a growth of the nation, its very high stability, and the rekindled interest of ancient traditions had allowed the Empire to prosper in both domestic and foreign interests. Within twenty years of expansion, the small Elysian Homeland grew for nearly a thousand miles from top to bottom. The victory of the Battle of Skyea, although not commanded by the Emperor due to his advanced age and ongoing health issues at the time, was hailed as an almighty triumph over the Barbaroi and Elysian prestige rose into the sky.

    Constantine had focused on securing not only the matters of church and state, but among with people and identity in this new world. After being isolated from Europe for several decades and with the wealth of their new home firmly in the Empire’s control, the multicultural Empire peacefully transitioned into the new identity of Elysia. Cities settled by the Empire, especially ones within the Elysian Bay, grew exponentially in population. Although in his old age, Constantine relaxed his influence over the government but strengthened its grip over the Elysium economy, with Neo Konstantinoupolis growing quickly to become one of the three great cities within the early Elysian Empire (Along with Seagate and Nea Atheni).

    The great achievements achieved by the Empire would come at a price. Wars were largely costly for an extended period of time and quite lengthy, with manpower becoming a large issue within the early half of the Elysians time on the continent. Hesitantly, the Emperor largely refused to command his armies in battle out of fears that should he be killed in battle, Elyia’s internal politics would tear the fledgling nation apart. Far more important was a building block for an Elysian nation rather then any military victory. Rather than invest himself into trying to strengthen his own powers at every turn, Constantine looked to forge a unity in laws, customs and justice. The Elysian nobility stood united behind their Emperor, who had become very popular, and all aspects of Elysian society benefited from their relationship to the Emperor. While having been alienated by unpopular Emperor’s in the times of the Eastern Roman Empire, the Elysian estates admired Constantine for bringing peace and unity to such a vast realm in such a short amount of time.

    With a political, economic and cultural revival that hadn’t been seen in centuries by a European-led nation, Constantine I had truly brought Elysia’s first steps into greatness. The Emperor knew that the moment the Elysian nation was able to walk onto its own would be the day that he would die. On November 2nd 1472, Constantine I would collapse while walking in the gardens of the Imperial Palace and die merely half an hour later. The cause of his sudden death was never specified.


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    Statues of Constantine I would be constructed across Elysia by future generations
    Constantine I would remain one of the most greatest Emperor’s in Elysian history, but also have an extremely significant position within World History as a whole. Posthumously titled as “The Savior” of the Elysian people, the legacy of the Emperor can be felt to modern day. Constantine’s death would become a national holiday in Elysia in future generations. He would be buried in Nea Alexandrina, the first major settlement after the founding of the Capital, where his tomb would become a popular tourist destination to this day.
     
    Chapter 7: ...You will conquer (1476-1482)
  • Chapter 7: ...You will conquer (1476-1482)

    For the previous four years since ascending to the throne, Emperor John I had made some leaps and bounds into reforming the administration of the growing realm. While the Empire was indeed wealthy, there was little desire by John for direct territorial expansion like his father did. Expansion did occur under John’s reign, but it was largely seen as low priority necessity. John was more interested with the building blocks of the realm, what made the nation work, what improvements can he help for the Empire. It was a time for not just a cultural identity to emerge, but for a time of building.

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    By 1476, Elysia held a large amount of territory that it had only gained in a relatively short amount of time. Small gains had been made for the realm since John ascended to the throne, but the new territories were integrated much more efficiently then when his father Constantine was ruling. Conquered territories were immediately integrated and then experienced Elysiafication, which on its own was an expensive process but also extremely effective.

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    In the autumn of the same year, ship captains venturing out into the ocean came into contact with a familiar looking people on an island in the Atlantic. Upon venturing closer and investigating, he gathered that the people on the island used to be part of a great expedition and were stranded after a strong storm. Once the news reached the mainland, news spread like wildfire about the shipwrecked survivors. Everyone in Elysia knew about the stories of their past and a glorious day for Elysia’s people had emerged! Emperor John immediately ordered a ship to be prepared for him and several diplomats, wanting to meet these shipwrecked survivors in person

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    As the ships landed on the Island, the people of the Lanthanopolis - ‘The Stranded City’ eagerly gathered around the Emperor with great joy. Most of the inhabitants seemed malnourished but none are in too horrible of a state, and have established a small community established on fishing, arboriculture and some goat herding. Their leader, who became a local ruler of a small monarchy on the island, invited Emperor John and his fellow men for a great feast, with food of the island as well as a banquet of food that Emperor John brought with his own that greatly pleased the locals. Upon conversation, it was known that out of the 18,000 that participated on the Odyssey, only 15,000 arrived on the mainland. The remainder of the fleet that hadn’t been lost at sea during the great storm had gathered on this island as refuge, and the extensively damaged fleet made it impossible to continue sailing for long distances. The people of Lanthanopolis are terribly impressed with how well Elysia has managed themselves, and both noble and commoner alike shout the name of the Emperor and wish to join the Empire. Incredibly satisfied, John immediately accepted them with open arms and welcomed them to the Empire. Due to the distance between the island and the mainland, John allowed the inhabitants of the island to govern as a self-ruled exarch, named Creta Minor. It was a great diplomatic victory with almost no effort required to convince the shipwrecked survivors otherwise.

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    With the survivors of the odyssey formally reunified, the Emperor investigated into looking into the military. Knowing that the military was incredibly powerful against the natives, a series of progressive reforms allowed the military to flourish within their own administration. With the Empire largely safe from raids within the core of its territory, there was no need to focus on defensive matters. Instead, the Emperor prefered a strong offense against the barbaroi armies.

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    Before Christmas in 1476, John focused onto starting to work on a grand project that his father and many senators dreamed of constructing decades prior when John was just a young boy. At the age of thirty, work had begun on the pathways through the Appalachian Mountains with the construction of workers, barbaroi allies and integrated natives.
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    The following year, the Empire would enter into war against the growing Yamasee to the south, who had been expanding by conquering neighbouring tribes slowly, giving them a sizeable amount of territory. While the Yamasee were powerful in their respective region, the full might of the Imperial Military was brought down upon the tribe and their allies, and a vast majority of opposition was annihilated in one single devastating blow.

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    In Noricus, copper and its most useful alloy bronze started emerging from the mines in the region, where it never seemed to stop emerging. With a reliable source of the material in the region, the area was prepared for long-term copper refining.

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    Chaeus would become the first of the pathways to be completed, and its effects began to show immediately. Trade networks began to improve drastically within the region and it allowed much easier movement of merchants, soldiers and settlers to travel. Due to the a small military presence within the mountains to protect workers from native raids, hostile movement was slowed down considerably and it made traveling the mountains much more difficult for an invading enemy.

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    The native population, always a key concern to the Elysians, were protected under their care from hostile neighbours, properly civilized and practise the true faith. Colonists in the frontier were given this duty, each given a number of natives to tutor and protect in efforts to improve on Elysiafication. In return, the natives will provide a number of days of labor to the colonists in the region and the Elysians in Emgas became known for their kindness to the native inhabitants.

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    With a terrible defeat looming on the horizon, one of the combined native armies managed to escape from the Elysian army and flee towards the east, emerging sometime later in Coruse. Their advance was predicted however and with the Elysians managing to trap the native army and destroy them, the war was won. The smaller co-belligerents were ignored within the treaty and settled for the status quo, but the entirety of the Yamasee Chiefdom was annexed, giving the Elysians a large chunk of new territory in the south, with hopes of new methods of Elysiafication being tried out there.

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    Thanks to the contribution of the nobles since Foundation Day, the State has lived through their nobility for a long time. With the country now doing well, the nobility is eager to see a return for their investments into the state, receiving a sizeable amount of wealth paid to them from the Imperial treasury.

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    With the continuous growth of the exiled nations, the necessity of the trade route between Elysia and Markland has come to the end as neither nation needed the financial help of each other. This deal would have small consequences in a dip of revenue for that year, but its long term benefit allowed the Elysians to no longer be dependent on foreign trade.

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    Another pathway was completed in Olygieus in 1478 and helped give the region a financial boost. Small towns settled near the growing highway started to appear as a popular place to settle down.

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    April 17th 1478 seen the first ever conversion of a native tribe to Orthodox Christianity. While the Cherokee had ties to Elysia as a semi-independent vassal, the Chief and many within positions of power converted to Orthodoxy en-masse. While more conservative members of the Cherokee see this as a betrayal of the ways of their ancestors, this became a popular decision by the Cherokee who strengthened ties to the growing Elysians.

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    Olygieus, other than seeing a recently completed pathway built in the region, had a prominent noble family move into the region and had some strange yet beneficial ideas about how to extort the population living there and traveling along the pathway. To help implement these plans, the family requested increased autonomy, to which the Emperor granted.

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    Platos became the new pathway completed, further strengthening the power of Elysia throughout the mountains. The Emperor felt relieved at knowing one of the most ambitious projects in Elysia was not only being constructed but progressed seemed to have been flourishing in some places.

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    This positivity did not last however, as John I embarrassed himself in front of the court and a few foreign dignitaries, including a prominent northern dignitary from Markland. The repercussions of this would take years to prepare and John, out of shame, stepped out of the spotlight for a while.

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    The growth of Nea Konstantinopolis continued to make progress, and it came to the attention that with the capital being largely dirty and overpopulated due to lack of control over growth, the senate and other prominent citizens have approached the Emperor about seeking a reliable source of freshwater. To help facilitate the growth of the capital while removing some of its more degenerate aspects, the senate has proposed building large aqueducts in the Appalachian Mountains to bring water to the capital and the countryside. This water would be used for farming, public baths and a new sewer system and would greatly improve hygiene in the capital. The Emperor approved for the new aqueduct system to run through five provinces, Chaeus-Zaryns-Detis-Odessos and then the capital province of Elysia proper. Once plans were approved, many new jobs were created and the new workers got straight to work on construction of the Aqueducts.

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    1480 brought about a great development for the Elysian nation, which is well enough developed to be considered a true nation. No longer mere settlers in a new land, the Elysians have tamed it far and wide despite the natives still seeing them as newcomers yet treating them like equals. With a rapidly growing economy, population and culture, Elysia seen the first aspects of what could become a golden age on the horizon. Distant, yet still visible.

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    To help with the growing changes of Elysia, the nation no longer had to struggle with constrained resources and were now free to reorganise themselves. With the foundation of a new colonial institution, the extra influx of resources allowed more settlers to make a new life in the colonies.

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    And with the settlers of the capital and a strong core region truly established, the wealth of the nation was strengthened considerable and the home city has flourished.

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    During all this time, another minor war was waged to the north out of necessary expansion to curb the growth of the natives to the north. With only a region known as Nipmuc annexed into Elysia, it positioned the Empire near a very strong bay area to the north.

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    Despite such positive aspects of the reign, it was well known upon the workers that digging paths through the mountains is extremely dangerous. And while injuries were common, disaster struck in that year as hundreds of workers were killed when a tunnel they were digging collapsed. Quickly, the senate requested the aid of the Emperor and in response, soldiers were used to help dig the tunnel while also help recover any of the bodies lost in the disaster if they could be recovered.

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    To the far south, King Leonidas and his elite forces have conquered a region around a peninsula and defeating several barabori natives known as the “Maya”. With a strong foothold on this new region so quickly, it remains to be seen what else the King of the South can do.

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    To the northwest, a region simply known as the “Great Lakes” to both the natives and the Elysians alike had been charted, with their size and large amount of marine life coming to a surprise to the capital. Now included onto the maps, it was becoming apparent that the continent of Elysium happened to be much bigger than previously expected.

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    By the start of 1481, two new pathways were completed in both Knoagora and Terrae, improving trade and transportation within the region.

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    In July 21st 1482, many decade after establishing itself in the New World of Elysium, a council was called in Platos. It had been nearly forty years after which the Old Empire controlled the City of the World’s Desire and called themselves Romans, and only the oldest members in Elysian society could remember life before the Odyssey. In an effort to strengthen the faith, the Patriarch of Nea Konstantnopolis has called for a Ecumenical council, the first of its kind since Foundation Day, inviting every Orthodox bishop in the Empire to the grand capital. Elysians, Cretans and converted Natives all stood and debated for several days on how to best reform the Christian faith to better function in the New World. Great Theological debates rage endlessly, and the end result allowed an agreement to be reached. The Orthodox Church would be reformed, and a new form of ‘Elysian Orthodox’ would become the state-religion. No longer did the Elysians have any solid ties to the Old Faith in Eastern Europe, the Holy Trinity would reign supreme on the continental and over all creation.

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    After the great council, Elysia was now securing a big future for itself under the leadership of Emperor John. With a new sense of enthusiasm, the Elysians seened content for the time being to focus on building their new homeland. Only time will tell what role the Elysians will play within the next few years.
     
    Last edited:
    Chapter 8: Almost Heaven (1482-1490)
  • Chapter 8: Almost Heaven (1482-1490)

    In a position of dominance, Elysian prestige and glory on the continent were through the roof. John I, while ruling as Emperor, was also the most powerful and enthusiastic patron of the development of Elysian culture. He knew that with a new identity forged with both the heart and heritage of the Roman Empire and with the charm and soul of Ancient Hellas, the Elysians have a natural affinity for both. It was his father that famously stated to the exiled peoples of Constantinople and Hellas that they were no longer just ‘Romans’ but merely a new people on Foundation Day. It was only twelve years ago that the exiles embraced themselves as a new culture. It was only recently that the Elysian Orthodox Church was born into into a mysterious world, and with another strong ruler, it seemed that the Elysians were truly experiencing miracles everywhere they went...

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    With the north more or less secured from Barbaroi threat, the south had been the primary focus for the Empire for quite some time. Tribes within the south were generally much weaker than those in the south, and in only a handful of years, most of it had already been subjugated by the Empire. John I was mostly anti-war, with some dynatoi even spreading rumours that he was a pacifist, but he would approve military plans for southern expansion if the state desired it. The Emperor was more concerned about building the nation than expanding it.

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    With Elysian Orthodoxy firmly established, the first of the patriarchs started to appear with a popular local bishop being petitioned to become the patriarch for the Southern half of the Empire, with a seat in Amus. Claiming that the capital is too distant for them to receive proper religious guidance, the citizens of the region told authorities that their own bishop knows their spiritual needs better than the distant patriarch in Neo Konstantinopolis. Just several months after the Council of Platos, the first Patriarch of Amus was confirmed by the Ecumenial Patriarch in the region to the joy of many.

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    Even with a strong Elysian church, old teachings of heresy persisted. Due to the struggles of surviving in the earliest days of arrival of the Elysians, the state could not craft holy icons for its houses of worship. Now with the Elysians firmly established, building great cities with wealth comparable to old Europe, more conservative members of the clergy still persisted in denouncing the use of icons.

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    On the frontier, missionaries spoke of news that the native barbaroi worshiped demons in a nearby provinces. The priests argued that strange noises, chanting in tongues and dancing around idols convinced members of the church that the natives pray to false idols and worship foul demons. Rather than accept their advice, the Emperor was more than skeptical about it and decided that rather than immediately point the finger at a potentially innocent tribe, the Elysians should attain all facts before making judgement of heathens. If they were truly demon worshippers, the Emperor would authorise the destruction of this barbaroi tribe. This statement from the Emperor seemed to have upsetted the hardliners within the church who did not take kindly to the ‘ignorance’ displayed, but the Emperor shrugged the harsh comments off.

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    A surprising development occurred just before Christmas in 1482. Far away in the distant lands of the north, the isolated tribe of the Ottawa completely abandoned their old ways and converted to Elysian Orthodoxy with zeal and eagerness due to the hardwork done by Elysian missionaries. The Emperor would personally reward the missionaries for their dedication to spreading the faith across such a far distance upon their arrival back to the capital.

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    Aidanon Gilbertakos (1430 - 1508). While a largely unknown figure within Elysian and world history, Gilbertakos’s diligence, competency and passion conducted in his work would allow him to become the Emperor’s chief political advisor.

    Although having worked in the political bureaucracy of the ever-growing capital, Aidanon Giblertakos’s competency in his long career had finally allowed him to work closely within the Imperial Court alongside the Emperor. While largely unknown in his early life and during the reign of Constantine I, Gilbertakos’s sheer competency and work ethic amazed Emperor John in 1483, and he would work with the Emperor directly on numerous occasions. After his retirement for working in the government for many decades, he would finally retire to a small property in Amalai in 1496 to help raise his family. Few would remember his name, but even fewer were as diligent and competent as Gilbertakos. He would die in 1508.

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    Along the Appalachians, another pathway was completed near Hyce in 1483. With the pathways close to competition, the results were already starting to show. Larger settlements in the region near the pathways benefited increased traffic going through the mountains.

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    In the far north of Elysia, the recently colonised coastline in the northernmost region of the nation became the settlement of a new home for the Varangians in the Empire. While having been in service for the empire for quite some time, the Orthodox Norsemen never truly had a place to call as their own. The closest major settlement to the homelands in Markland, Emperor John I declared the foundation of the Varangian Order on April 9th 1484. The Varangians, now with their own city, organised themselves as an Orthodox theocracy and pledged complete loyalty to Elysia. With the establishment of the order, the miniscule amount of christians living within Markland made the trek to live down south under the protection of the order, where they would help provide the Varangians with a stable population for them to conduct their holy mission.

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    Noricus became the next centre of the grand pathway project, slowly but surely improving trade within the region as well as encouraging settlers towards the area as well as the Appalachians in general.

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    As the church became more powerful within the state, so too did their ambitions, which caused the nobility to feel uneasy about their current advances. The recently ordained Patriarch of Amus, located in the growing city of Illion, gained enough influence to meet with the Emperor in the capital and asked that the city he administers and the surrounding lands answer directly to him. While seen as a direct violation against the crown, the city and surrounding area had already been under the control of the church for quite some time, and denying the Patriarch's request would lower the legitimacy of the monarchy in the eyes of the masses. John simply accepted and handed the city to the Patriarch, knowing that a simple city meant little against the remainder of the growing Empire.

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    The Empire was experiencing a boom period within its growth, primarily in agriculture, as farms appeared across the entirety of the empire. A majority of the populace were largely farmers, and to increase agricultural production, new farming techniques for plantations, irrigation and land properties allowed to bring higher crop yields and thereby bring more income to the state. With an influx of farmers going out to make their fortune, the Emperor raised taxes slightly as more settlers flocked to the farms and added a small tax to produce heading to major cities.

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    Two months later, the destruction of the Creek and Hitchiti came at the hands of the Elysians. Within a short amount of time, a huge portion of the south had been conquered and native resistance was annihilated.

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    To the north, the Huron and the Iroquois both declared war over one another over sovereignty of the lakes. What originally started as a dispute over territory quickly escalated into a large conflict. Despite having the backing of the Elysians as an ally, the Iroquois refused to call them to aid and turn the tide of the war. The Huron, while suffering greatly in the beginning of the conflict, used their allies and their own military to completely overrun and cripple the Iroquois. Elysia watched the conflict, puzzled to why the Iroquois did not request their aid. The nobility scoffed at the results, blaming barbaroi ‘pride’ as the downfall of the once mighty Iroquois.

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    During the storm, another mining accident led another disaster claiming hundreds of casualties. The Senate received financial aid to help hire new miners to complete the pathways, despite the cost.

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    Another small campaign within the south led to the complete devastation of the natives in the area, with a small insignificant campaign bringing another area under the Empire’s control. The casualties among the natives were starting to climb as every passing day seen the Elysians grow stronger. By 1486, the Elysians were on the verge of a peninsula to the south where it was within close proximity to the little-known Kyklades Archipelago.

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    In Ephis, the discovery of a gold deposit in the region sent a wave of euphoria among the workers. The Senate was incredibly pleased with this discovery and started work for construction of a mine for long-term gold production, while the senate generously approved of allowing some of the workers an increase in their pay for that week out of hopes that workers in other areas can work harder.

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    After eleven years of hard labor, with hardships along the way, the Appalachian Mountain Paths finally finished construction. The grand project first visualised by Emperor Constantine and the senate many decades ago was now in reality, and the completion of the pathways was seen as a crowning achievement of both engineering and the Emperor. With the pathways officially open, merchants and settlers cross through the mountains and into the lands beyond. If faith could move mountains, the Elysians could carve through them.


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    A portrait of John I Palaiologos, Emperor of Elysia, shortly after his fortieth birthday. (c.1486)


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    In the Empire, a chieftain within the Empire complained about being unable to train his army the way he wants to. Rather then train the powerful Elysian military in its highly efficient methods, the Chieftain requested to train his army in the ways of his ancestors. The Emperor and several prominent military officials within the Empire denied his request on the spot.

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    A group of the most experienced Varangian warriors requested to return to their homeland, tired of battle and feeling that they had fulfilled their pledge to the Emperor. Many of these warriors had been veterans for decades and were now becoming old men. Rather then trying to keep the Varangians a chance to compel them to stay, John allowed them to return home and bid them farewell. As they returned home, the Varangians never forgot the kindness given to them by the Emperor

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    In the south, the Spartans had successfully conquered a large swath of the strong barbaroi territories. With their military still being as efficient as ever, King Leonidas held a large sway of the region in his grip within twenty years. While he competed the image of the warrior king, he was quite a competent ruler in statesmanship, and built his nation in a similar method to the ways of Constantine before him.

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    Explorers to the south started to map the region of the Kyklades Archipelago, discovering that it was larger than previously expected. While concentrating on the mainland, the Emperor did seem interested within the region’s potential. As a means to preoccupy the loyal exarchate, John tasked the King of Creta Minor to look into the islands while the Elysians concentrated their efforts solely on the mainland.


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    In 1490, the landscape had become a very different place. As the Iroquois were humiliated and their enemies filled in the power vacuum. Seeing the loss of a friend replaced with a potential enemy, the north seemed nervous. While in the south, the concentrated efforts of expanding the frontier proved to be fruitful. As the new year came around, John thought to himself that in his eyes, was he becoming like his father? Was God blessed enough to allow him to lead Elysia into prosperity once more? Only time could truly tell.
     
    Chapter 9: Miracles (1490-1495)
  • Chapter 9: Miracles (1490-1495)

    Left in a strong position for western expansion due to the completion of the Appalachian Pathways, Elysia took the moment to consolidate their efforts and concentrate onto the matters of state itself. With the sudden defeat of the Iroquois, the balance of power in the region suddenly shifted to the Huron. While the Huron didn’t pose a threat to Elysia proper, it severely hurt the Elysian’s ally with the loss of most their territory. While the South was focused on in matters of expansion, the North would need to be tamed again soon in order to help strengthen the hold of the Empire in the area, and perhaps rekindle the good relations the Elysians had with the Iroquois.

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    Elysia, as of 1490, had left it as the undisputed master of the East Coast. With a vast territory now stretching well over a thousand miles. Barbaroi were effectively integrated into the Elysian state with little to no complications, and the state’s policy for peaceful integration led the number of hostile native raids to dwindle over the years. But despite the integration of barbaroi into the south, they had virtually no say within government as a whole despite the Barbaroi Councils being apart of the state. Barbaroi who had converted to Elysian Orthodox had naturally received much nicer treatment from the Elysians, and a few converted natives served in government, but in the bigger picture the Emperor had expected the new barbaroi to quietly assimilate into Elysian culture completely. While partially true in this statement, Elysification had allowed Elysian culture to spread across the entirety of the Empire with the notable exception of the Albanian exclaves. If the Barbaroi would require a better say, it would have to be until after the Emperor would pass away.

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    Within administration, a few local works in the administration of Platos had discovered what they claim is a more efficient way to handle the documents of the Empire. While it seemed like nonsense, the Emperor was always open to experiment with new things, and allowed them to try-out this new method with caution.

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    Coruse had seen the discovery of Iron in the region and as production started in the area, the miners believed that the ore would never deplete due to the huge vein of Iron being extracted. Long-term production would be established in the region, boosting the prosperity of the area as as a reliable area for Iron miners.

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    To the far south, catastrophe struck the barbaroi in the region. The great Triple Alliance collapsed in an spectacularly violent matter. The Aztec, who had held complete hegemony among the smaller regional tribes as subjects, were served as the only counteracting balance against the Spartans of the South, who had reorganized their nation as Spartania earlier that year. Despite the Aztecs, who were perhaps an Empire in their own right, being more powerful than the Spartanians, their power came crashing down as the Tlatoani himself was sacrificed to the gods. The catastrophe had left the formerly united Triple Alliance greatly weakened and surrounded by their hostile former subjects. With the collapse of order among the barbaroi, it had left the Spartanians as the sole major power in the region.

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    With colonial efforts focused among the south, the Elysians were keenly interested within the new region that they were venturing into, the Anthiros Peninsula. Immediately, explorers and settlers were met with surprise about the environment there, finding a plethora of wild fauna and a subtropical north and a tropical south of the peninsula that is surrounded by two oceans on all sides. With such diverse flora, fauna and weather, the area was seen by many of the settlers arriving from all parts of Elysia as a garden region. Geographically, it was on the doorstep of the Kykladies, and put the peninsula on an invaluable location.

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    Just past the Anthiros Peninsula, the nearby Kykladies were charted and discovered more. Explorers travelling to explore the region discovered large tropical islands in the region. Just like Anthiros, what had been charted of the Kykladies was seen to have amazed explorers with is extreme beauty. Crystal blue waters and a remarkable biodiversity amazed the explorers so much that a captain among the ships started to openly weep, thinking he had found paradise on earth.

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    The biggest change occurred to the north in 1492. While originally enemies at first, the Iroquois would later become one of Elysia’s greatest allies and friends on the continent. Despite their friendship, relations between the Iroquois and Elysians were largely kept within an arms length away. Something had happened after the Huron War, and it led to the now middle-aged Soonongjoowau to experience something close to a religious experience. The Chief then personally invited several Elysian priests to the Confederacy, giving them safe passage into the lands. It seemed mysterious to outsiders viewing the event to why the Ironquois requested the presence of Elysian missionaries.

    The following weekend, something incredible had happened. Soonongjoowau, believing his spiritual awakening was a message from God, abandoned the ways of his ancestors and openly converted to the Elysian Orthodox faith and encouraged fellow leaders within the community to do the same. Emperor John was completely shocked at the news, not expecting such pleasant news from the south, and immediately ordered diplomats and ambassadors to meet with the Iroquois. Talks began on July 10th 1492.

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    With the conversion of the Iroquois underway, as well as having a reliable ally, both the Elysians and Iroquois worked to organise a royal marriage to strengthen ties with one another and to signify the beginning of a new era. An Elysian princess would be married to the son of a prominent Iroquois noble,.

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    After the marriage, the Elysians organised something special for the Iroquois. Prompted by a good harvest, Emperor John and several important nobles arrived with Soonongjoowau, who had invited his family most of his important figures in government. Together, the two of them celebrated a grand feast together and gave thanks to god. This meeting would become a national holiday known as ‘Thanksgiving’, and began as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest.

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    Six months after their banquet, several of the Iroquois nobles had converted to Christianity, and many natives started to slowly start converting to the faith over a period of time. With relations at an all-time high, Emperor John and Soonongjoowau would meet again in Nea Konstantinopolis, this time for politics.

    In September 1 1492, the Emperor would make a deal with the Iroquois. Should the Iroquois agree to become a vassal state of the Empire, then Emperor John would immediately start preparations to retake territory that was conquered by the Huron. Also included in the deal was that, should the Iroquois agree to become a vassal, Elysia would help with the conversion of the region to Christianity, receive financial benefits and should the Huron war go well, ensure that the Huron would never threaten the Iroquois again. After some thought, Soonongjoowau and the ambassadors agreed. The North, once again, was secured and the Elysians got straight to work.

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    Near the Anthiros, a huge amount of wetlands in the region had been drained and revealed fertile soil for farming and relatively flat lands for homes to be constructed upon. With the Marsh being cleared, more homes started to be built in the area.

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    During this growing time, many areas that were forests or swamps were cleared or drained to provide new areas for Elysians to settle in. The new areas often led to a short-term population boom that improved the region in the long-run, and notably, Agrinio was one of these towns.

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    After agreeing for vassalship, the Elysians prepared ¾ of the armed forces to retake lands of the Iroquois. While the Huron was devastating for the Iroquois, the natives had bounced back recently thanks to Elysian assistance, while the Huron themselves had been left drained in both manpower and in their own economy. While the Huron did have some allies, they were of little concern. Military officials predicted a quick campaign.

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    In the early half of 1493, Emperor John made truth of the promise he made to the Chief Soonongjoowau and formally declared war for the reconquest of Iroquois territory. Completely unprepared for the war, the Huron were completely obliterated in the early half of the war in an embarrassing manner. For the rest of the war, once the Huron and their allies were crushed, the Elysians were free to walk into Huron territory. In some cases, some areas simply surrendered the moment that the Elysians were on the horizon.

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    Several months later, the Iroquois had gotten their revenge against the Huron and were eternally grateful, and the Huron were ensured to never threaten the Iroquois. The land concessions were enormous as the Iroquois nearly took the entirety of the Huron homeland, leaving them sad and weak. Almost immediately, the Iroquois focused on integrating the conquered areas while Elysian missionaries worked hard to spread the faith.

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    After the war, the Emperor and the Iroquois would work together to redefine the treaty of vassalship. For a period of ten years, the Iroquois would become a temporary March of Elysia and would not be required to pay taxes. Once this period was up, the Iroquois would become a vassal of Elysia once again.

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    After the Huron campaign, John would focus his efforts onto the north yet again to eliminate several troublesome tribes in the area and had fought against Elysia in the past. Importantly, the war was to secure the important Nea Theodosian bay due to its political and geographic importance.

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    And after war was declared, both of the Penobscott and the Abenaki would face the destruction of their militaries to the last man, with calvary once again becoming a big contributing factor to the great victory.


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    Manuel I Palaiologos. Seen as more of a traditionalist by his peers, Manuel’s rule would see an important period of Elysian history. He is the youngest son of Constantine I to become Emperor at 42 as the youngest child, Alexios, died as a teenager.

    Mere days after the end of the war, John I suddenly died following a period of sickness. Despite dying relatively young at the age of 48 from pneumonia, John had remained celibate for his life and ensured rulership of the Empire to his only surviving brother, Manuel. With his death, his reign was celebrated for the continued rise of Elysia as a growing superpower in this new world and his powerful domestic policies. John had largely lived up to his father’s legacy, with the Appalachian Pathways seen as his crowning achievement.

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    A year and a half later, with the war ending, three out of the four tribes who were at war against Elysia were annexed into the Empire. Manuel ensured that the annexed tribes were integrated without incident and Elysification began immediately after the region had a majority christian population.

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    Now the ruler of a stronger Elysia, the new Emperor Manuel got to work on reforming the calvary of the Empire. Inspired by the Cataphracts of old, heavy cavalry was reintroduced into the powerful military. Armed and armored to the teeth in the old style, with scale and chain and equipped with maces, lances and bows, the new super-heavy riders immediately became feared far across the borders of the Empire on the battlefield. Nearly impervious to any blows the natives can strike against a calvaryman, if he can hit the rider, a well-timed Cataphract charge was virtually unstoppable to the natives.

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    In Odasus, the farming boom that started from his older brothers reign continued into Manuel’s first year as Emperor. With a massive food surplus in the region, farmers started to flock to the fertile fields in the region.

    By the turn of the century, Manuel started to get settled into life as the third Emperor of Elysia. With his father and brother before him, many had natural high hopes for Manuel. But unlike the previous two Emperor’s, Manuel did not want to live in the shadow of his relatives. He was determined, as Emperor, to make his own mark on Elysian history.
     
    Chapter 9.5: In Memoriam/John I
  • John I Palaiologos
    Lived May 5th 1446 - June 13th 1494
    Emperor of Elysia: 1472 - 1494

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    While not living up to the tremendous legacy that his father had achieved, John I’s rule was perhaps the most important during the early history of Elysia. It was during his rule that the Elysians prioritised looking inward rather than outward, and as a result, the nation was strengthened considerably. In another aspect of his rule, John’s indirect methods of expansion allowed Elysian culture to flourish, and with a focus on administration, the Empire became a regional superpower.

    John was born in the Imperial Palace to Emperor Constantine I and Empress Zoe Acominata, the eldest of three children. At the age of 4, John started to display fascinating signs of extraordinarily high mental capacities, leading his family and many within the court to believe that John was a genius, and as a result received excellent tutoring from private teachers. But growing up, John had difficulty establishing and maintaining social relationships with some people, as well as marked difficulties in behavior, social interaction, communication and sensory sensitivities. Centuries after his rule, modern research characterized John I would have been on the Autism spectrum.

    During the Palaeologan Renaissance that characterised his father's reign, John always surrounded himself with books that were taken during the Odyssey, fascinated by the aspect of knowledge in all forms. As the heir to his father, John focused his energy into working the bureaucratic and administrative aspects of Elysia. Curiously, John highly disliked warfare and was seen by many of the dynatoi as a pacifist who objected against the use of violence directly, but ordered military campaigns with the assistance of the military council as expansion was still necessary.

    With the death of his father in 1472, John ascended to the throne and immediately had a newfound enthusiasm to went straight to work in reforming the administration of the realm. Multiple diplomatic and administrative events occurred under his rule, such as re-establishing contact with the shipwrecked survivors of Lanthanopolis in 1476 and the Council of Platos that established Elysian Orthodoxy in 1482 as a separate branch of Christianity, and the establishment of the Varangian Order to the far north. Major expansion occurred within the borders of the Empire, largely within the southern realms of the Empire where entire barbaroi realms were conquered and absorbed efficiently.

    John I would also become the major patron of the new Elysian identity and helped assist the Senate in organizing the Elysification process of newly integrated territory. As a cultural supporter, John was the most powerful and enthusiastic patron of the arts in Elysia and sponsored promising Elysian artists. In establishing the relationship with the Iroquois during the late half of his rule, considered a grand diplomatic victory in early Elysian history, John’s brilliant administrative abilities were well praised across the government. During this time, the first thanksgiving would take place in 1492 with the Great Chief Soonongjoowau, where it would become a national holiday many decades after the event had taken place.

    The greatest achievement that Elysia had accomplished during John’s reign was the highly ambitious Appalachian Pathways, a highway project first visuralied by Emperor Constantine and the senate many decades prior. Completed in 1487 after eleven years of hardwork, the pathways allowed settlers and merchants easy access through the mountains and into the lands beyond Elysia. The Appalachian Pathways would be compared to Ancient Roman roads, importantly, the Appian Way.The pathway construction was so reliable, that no major upgrades to the existing system would be needed until the 20th century, highlighting the marvels of Elysian engineering.

    Leading Elysia to become considerably stronger during his reign, John I would lead Elysia during another strong reign. On June 13th 1494, Emperor John I would pass away from pneumonia. Interestingly, the Emperor had remained celibate for his entire life and dedicated his entire life towards making Elysia into a better place, allowing future succession to pass seamlessly to his brother Manuel and his descendents

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    .
    A posthumous painting of John I, painted in the mid 16th century

    John I’s legacy had left a large effect onto Elysian culture, society and onto the Empire as a whole. Transforming the regional power into a superpower, John’s abilities to govern helped strengthen the foundations of the Elysian Empire. John would be buried in the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas, one of Nea Konstantinopolis’s largest churches.
     
    Chapter 10: A New Direction (1495-1500)
  • Chapter 10: A New Direction (1495-1500)

    With the ascension of Manuel, the strong foundations of the Empire were about to be tested. Although a capable man in his own right, Manuel was far different than his older brother John. As the last of the sons of Constantine, Manuel was a traditionalist and valued the strong foundations that made up the Elysian state, and sought to use his rule mainly to help Elysian dominance on the continent.

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    To the Great Lakes, now known as the Borealian Lakes, the recently reorganised and powerful Iroquois had largely converted to Elysian Orthodox with great enthusiasm and zeal in an incredibly short time. After the war against the Huron, known to many as the Borealian War, the natives created a patriarchate located in a recent founding of a new city known as Tkaronto. Emperor Manuel confirmed the legitimacy of the patriarchate the first Borealian Patriarch was confirm by the Eccumenial Patriarch.
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    In the cities however, things were greatly different. Those living within the cities lived under a different code of rules then those living in rural areas. Just as the monarchy usually tried to curb the privileges of the nobility, the cities often resisted similar efforts. The urban populace of the population demanded their old rights, and Manuel I accepted this one time out of leniency, warning them that he will not be so forgiving next time should they demand again.

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    Among the nobility of Lanthanopolis, chaos had suddenly overwhelmed the city. One of Creta Minor’s generals, Aineias Romanos, had gathered support against the monarchy for what he had perceived didn’t have the best interests for the common man. Nearly 6000 armed followers of Aineias suddenly gathered their arms and quickly overwhelmed the small garrison in Lanthanopolis before suddenly capturing the small palace along with the royal family. Holding the island and the ruling family there hostage, Aineias sent a list of demands back to Nea Konstantinopolis. Either give independence to Lanthanopolis and the remainder of Creta Minor, including financial compensation, otherwise the ruling family would risk execution.

    The news of the upstart rebellion against Elysian authority deeply angered the Emperor. Within its history, Elysia had never experienced a serious rebellion on its own. Emperor Manuel decided to show the Empire what would happen to traitors, with a group of highly trained, battle hardened soldiers under the command of an experienced general, being sent to deal with the insurrection.

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    Upon making landing on Lanthanopolis, both the armies met in battle but the core of the rebel forces was killed in the enduring battle. Alexandros Choumnos, under orders from the Emperor, ordered that as many leaders as possible be taken alive, while the remainder of the rebellion was to be crushed. Once the battle had taken place, after two days of fighting, the rebellion was crushed and rebel soldiers were cut down where they stood. Aineias and other rebel leaders were caught trying to flee, but were caught and led back into the capital. The insurrectionist army fled across the island into smaller groups, some without leadership, where they would become easy targets. Just over fifty had survived, largely the nobles who had supported Aineias and some captured local rulers who wished to work against Elysia.

    After some time in captivity, Emperor Manuel personally arrived on Lanthanopolis to oversee the punishment of the insurrectionists. For treason against the Empire, the Emperor ordered the systematic execution of every single follower of Aineias and forced him to watch. Military commanders, local nobility who had defected to the rebellion and surviving soldiers themselves were lined into the town centre of the capital and ordered their beheading to be made a public event. The Elysian Emperor, the nobility and ruling family of Creta Minor and various commoners watched the execution of the rebellion. Aineas would be executed last, having watched as everyone close to him was killed off one by one.

    Emperor Manuel used the rebellion to set an example for every other nobleman in the Empire. Rebellion against the crown and the Empire was to result in total annihilation.Manuel even openly admitted that the sentence he personally issued on the rebels was light, and could have gone even further. Once news spread of the outcome of the rebellion, any potential hostile ambitions by the crown were silenced. The news had terrified the nobility, and the Emperor knew it.

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    Back in the capital, the Emperor felt as if he was living within a new age. Ever since the death of his older brother, Manuel felt more at peace with himself as society started to slowly change around him. A pious man, the Emperor had always felt comfort around faith, and deeply admired the church. Growing up as a young man, he had even been friends with the previous Eccumential Patriarch and often discussed theology. While the Church felt more in place in this new world, many of its old traditions came from Europe. In part for this work, Manuel worked closely with the church to strengthen it.

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    The Act of Uniformity and the Blasphemy Act were both passed by the Senate on the same day as each other. The Act of Uniformity was taken with the goal of bringing a closer, more united church by enforcing church attendance and set the order of services and prayers. The Blasphemy Act enacted a common law and made it a legal offence to show contempt for or ridicule God, Jesus or the Holy Scriptures in any form or way.

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    With the acts of law strengthened, the Elysian Church met with another act that had political and spiritual implications. While liturgies still played an important role in day to day worship, many of the religious rites and rituals that came from Europe had gone out of favor, while new ones had been created and were integrated into the church. Eccumential Patriarch Theodoros I and Emperor Manuel, in order to ensure continued orthodoxy and clearly define what is and is not heretical, assembled the greatest theologians of the age to create a new set of ‘Elysian Rites’. This would start one of the biggest changes of the church from European Orthodoxy, as many new rites would differ largely from traditional orthodoxy. The rites would become implemented on October 9th 1496

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    While the Emporoi did not have the same traditions as that of the church, they did not inherit the wealth that the church is associated with. Instead, the Emporoi had to make their own fortunes by working diligently and then risking their profits to again expand in their businesses and lives. Lately, this has gone very well with them. While not as prestigious as the Dynatoi or that of the Presbyteroi, they had become the backbone of the economy and through their control of the coins did their increase of power come at the expense of the Empire.

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    Along one of the newest provinces, the barbaroi of Thuroy started to become more fond when in the company of Elysian settlers. So much so, that hundreds started to move away from their tribes and into the new cities and towns being established.

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    While exploring a new region and replenishing supplies, explorers discovered a young pregnant woman and her husband. Both of them had applied for positions as an interpreter and guide during the expedition. It seemed that the woman could speak several languages while her hunter was a good hunter and was knowledgeable of the continent. Immediately, both of them were hired for the exhibition.

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    In Thuroy, new irrigation methods are being experimented with. Elysian and Native contributions onto irrigation methods, for the most part, seem to have worked and food production is increasing in the region.

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    In the far north, Emperor Manuel reorganised the Varangian Guard territories. As well as receiving state-assistance with financing, the theocratic state was in a good position for its operations. With many hostile tribes still in the north, the close position was beneficial for Varangians traveling back home to Markland.

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    To the far south, the Imperial exhibition charted the tribes within the Mississippi. While the North was valuable in its own right, Emperor Manuel desired to secure the coastal regions for the benefit of the Empire. Tribes within the south were weaker then ones of the north, and it opened up more prospects for future expansion. It was with this policy in mind that Emperor Manuel would change the destiny of the Empire, that the Empire would avoid the large endless expanse of the interior in-favor of focusing along the coastlines and densely populated areas. 1498 and 1499 would be known as the beginning of a period known of the ‘Second Frontier’, the Elysian colonisation of the Mississippi.

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    As 1499 came to a close, Elysia had made gigantic leaps and bounds upon arriving in this mysterious new world only 55 years ago, becoming a regional group of exiled survivors to the most powerful entity on the entire continent. Emperor Manuel listened to the stories of his people many times as a child and chuckled at himself, imagining what the Europeans would see of what the exiled Greeks had become. The old Emperors of Rome and Elysia would be smiling upon its people. God was perhaps smiling on the fortunes of the Elysians. This was a time of destiny, and Manuel embraced the future ahead of him. This was to be the century of Elysia.

    Long live the Empire
     
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    State of the Empire: 1500
  • State of the Empire: 1500

    The coming century was to bring about a time of great change for Elysia. With a strong nation under his rule, Emperor Manuel took the time to reflect on how far Elysia had come. If Manuel was to continue on the path of bringing prosperity and civilization to this strange new world, he needed to know the capabilities of the Empire.

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    From the cold stormy weather in the far north along the New Theodosian Bay to the lush Anthiros Peninsula, the realm of Elysia has grown tremendously. With a frontier to the East towards the great Mississippi River, all expansion efforts was to be focused along the region.

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    Since Foundation Day, the first few years of Elysian rule was characterised by the strength of will to rule. Emperor Constantine held the entire Empire together almost completely on his own until the government could be consolidated. For many years afterwards, as the strong Imperial government was shaped and molded, the position of Emperor had largely retained its importance. Elysia also inherited the ancient Roman traditions of the senate, which slowly grew overtime as new cities were founded within the Empire. Emperor Manuel, wishing to expand on Roman traditions which helped make the ancient republic and empire great, started to strengthen the senate and hopefully reorganise it to become more beneficial for the Empire.

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    Originally landing with nothing but the supplies they had brought with them, the new world of Elysium proved to provide much more than what was originally needed. Once the economy started to climb, Emperor Constantine and John both worked hard to strengthen it as much as possible and let it grow. With the rapid growth of the economy that’s likely not going to stop any time soon, Elysia was thriving.

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    Among trade, Elysian merchants worked hard to succeed in different markets, and largely dominated in them. All trade along the Bay of Elysia was completely controlled by the Empire, and had small influence in other markets. Due to the lack of any real trade within barbaroi regions, the organised Elysians became leaders.

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    The military, seen as the pride of Elysian expansionists, remained an incredibly powerful force on the continent. Originally weak and organised like a glorified militia, later reforms among the military would transform the Elysians from their militia roots to a stable army. Native armies, originally having the upper hand against the Elysians, were now largely powerless.

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    Elysification of provinces, both colonised and annexed, proved to be much more effective than the Senate had ever expected it to be. While the Elysian language was growing within popularity amongst the native populations, many spoken barbaroi languages were still spoken by converted natives. Smaller languages spoken amongst the Elysians were Norse, Ironquois and even Albanian. But the nature of the Elysian language and overwhelmingly Elysian population had kept local languages a minority, and given a generation or two, many of them would likely go extinct.

    In the north, the Albanian populace of the Empire remained as culturally similar to their ancestors as much as possible. Where as the Greek language and culture began to fragment and become influenced by both local native languages and even Latin to some degree, the secluded Albanians made strict enforcement to keep their language. Due to their cold nature to not contribute to the Empire unless absolutely necessary, Emperor Manuel would need to plan ahead for integration of the Albanians into the realm, wherever they liked it or not.

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    In the north, Markland had vanquished Helluland in the Great Northern War and became sole Kingdom of the North. While knowledge of the Kingdom at large remained small, Markland had experienced a long period of isolation and internal focus for a many decades. It wasn’t until that, just recently, the Norse began a campaign of conquest against barbaroi nearby the Kingdom and slowly colonising one area at a time.

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    This wave of growing conquest was led by Jarl Leif V Erikson, who as a young boy, watched his grandfather meet with the newfound Elysians for the first time to discuss the trade agreement. While having a friendly demeanor as Jarl, Leif V was ruthless against his enemies and was known to have a fragile temper that, should the Jarl be angered, would send him into an uncontrollable rage. A devout follower of the Norse faith, many battles against the barbaroi would be personally led by him.

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    To the east was the lonesome island province of Creta Minor, led by the Megali Doukissa of Lanthanopolis, Anna I Notaras. Anna I was born under the shipwrecked survivors of the city, and under her reign, overseen its reintegration into Elysia as a semi-independent vassal state of the Empire. Known to be an adventurous woman, Anna I is also known to be a highly efficient administrator. A popular ruler, Anna I talked down the traitorous Aineas Romanos while in captivity.

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    In the far south, the dream of King Leonidas came to fruition, and civilization was brought to the powerful barbaroi. With the collapse of the powerful Triple Alliance, Elite Spartanian Warriors and native allies within its borders became the sole power in the area. Having only just consolidated their gains, Spartania faces trouble as civil unrest and guerrilla war by surviving Aztec warriors. Due to the mysterious nature of the far south, it is largely unknown to Elysians on the scale of the events that had happened there.

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    Leonidas Spartakon, originally born as Belisarius Palaiologos, quickly made a name for himself as a young man as a very capable military leader. As he led his personal exhibition to the lands of the south, he would become the first Vasillas of the newfound kingdom of Spartania. Undefeatable in battle, Leonidas and his elite armies overwhelmed the natives in the region and, after thirty years of conquest, took the entirety of what would become Laconia. With warfare done, the great warrior king was to spend the remainder of his reign on building the start of a great nation.

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    Within the Imperial Court itself, the Emperor was always surrounded by loyal men and women who served the Empire diligently. Coming from all aspects of government, from the military to finances, the Emperor could rely on the advisors who loved the Empire as much as he did. And for Manuel, he wanted to ensure that his son Theodosios had an Empire that he could inherit.

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    A portrait of Emperor Manuel during his younger years, c. 1489
    Manuel I fitted the image of a prince in the minds of Elysians. An incredibly pious man, Manuel and the Church always loved working together to discuss matters on theology and all the church at large. On a popular level, commoners and merchants loved Manuel for marking Elysia with prosperity and for keeping the nobility in check. Manuel's staunch conservatism would also make him popular among traditionalists in the senate and had gained a noticeable oratory ability after many decades of speaking in the Senate.

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    Largely, through the history of the Empire, the center and beating heart of it all was the capital. Being the richest city in the entirety of the new world, the population of the city hadn’t grown much within the previous fifty years as many settlers emigrated outward to live in different regions of the Empire, building towns and cities in its wake. The capital itself, Neo Konstantinopolis, was the largest city in the Empire with only a modest population of just over 35,000 inhabitants, due to the city experiencing a smaller population due to a reputation of the capital being known as a ‘population sink. With the completion of the aquaducts, the hygiene of the region being improved tremendously, the demographic of the capital and nearby regions is set to explode in number.
     
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    Chapter 11: Imperium (1500-1507)
  • Chapter 11: Imperium (1500-1507)

    Brought about with a desire for change to the western territories, Emperor Manuel started to prepare Elysia for the next phase of its destiny. With the political climate calm across the Empire, expansion became the next major focus among the senate. With the Emperor’s desires on focusing along the coastline and the south, it was easier for administration to govern and integrate the outlying territories instead of the north. With tribes being weaker in the region and with Elysian expansion having taken place in the south for several decades now, it was a natural decision to expand within the region. And with the success and beauty of the Anthiros Peninsular being displayed for settlers there, it fascinated explorers to venture west.

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    On a domestic scale, Elysia dwarfed many of the outlying tribes and was the largest state on the continent. With strong diplomatic relations and vassal states serving Elysia and its political interests, Elysia was shining where nowhere else on the continent was. Growing on a rapid unprecedented scale, Elysia had accomplished more in just 55 years then what Rome accomplished in two centuries before the rise of Caesar.

    But as Elysia grew stronger, the recently united Spartania had its own ambitions and no longer wanted to live in the shadow of the Empire. Although grateful for the Empire’s assistance, Leonidas started to distance himself and his people completely from Elysia. In a display of arrogance, Leonidas’s attempts to create a national identity for Spartania would forever harm the relationship between the Spartans and the Elysians.

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    Leonidas would get to work immediately severing every single diplomatic tie that Spartania had with the Elysians. Messengers would be sent from the southern lands to Nea Konstantinopolis to inform the King that Spartania had officially ended all the alliance between the two nations, seeing as the alliance simply wasn’t necessary. To further add to an insult the Empire, the messengers had declared Spartania that, in time, the Spartans would become a greater nation than anything the Elysians could ever be. The Senate’s reaction to the Spartan declaration was one of shock, as relations with the south had only been incredibly high just the year before. Several prominent warhawks within the administration, seeing this as an grave insult to the Empire, wanted war against the arrogant southerners. The Emperor, while incredibly frustrated at Leonidas’s sudden hostility, called his bluff and led the Empire to avoid war against the south. With war avoided, efforts could be concentrated onto settling the south.

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    Just as settlement began, rumors suddenly swept the nation that there had been a shortage in salt production. Despite the Senate and the administration doing its best to quash such rumors, the commoners feared that that there will be a salt crisis soon. Productivity was slowed down with salt production, and the price of salt suddenly spiked within the markets. Nothing could have been done to prevent this, and for the time-being, the Empire had to endure.

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    While Emperor Manuel and Elysia focused upon the south, Leonidas had focused on matters of theology. In the south, the priests and bishops of Spartania had struggled against the conquered barbaroi who had continued to worship their bloodthirsty gods. The newly appointed Patriarch of Spartania had recently called a great council in Lakedaimon to better combat the barbaroi idolatry. For days, priests and bishops had debated for days, studying doctrine and theology in their quest to better strengthen the Christian faith in the area in the war against heresy. After days of debate, they had agreed that the church should appeal to the similarities between the Saints and their heathen idols, taking a more cautious approach rather than violently destroying the violent heathen faith at every given opputunity.

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    With the decision to focus on the offensive, many of the Empire’s neighbors and subjects look enviously and worriedly at the sight of the grand imperial army, who stand ready to give the enemies of the empire a taste of furious steel. Amongst the natives, the sheer ability of the Elysians in battle completely terrified smaller tribes.

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    While the new lands of Elysium allowed rapid population growth at a tremendous pace, a small portion of the population only lived in the cities. The capital itself only had just a humble population of just over 35,000. However, the Emporoi’s success in the wealthy cities had been attracting an increasing number of the countryside and cities are growing so quickly that existing problems in terms of sanitation and overcrowding had gone from troubling to catastrophic. The poor had taken up residence outside of city walls where in slums, where disease thrives and crime runs rampant.

    The Emporoi themselves had find the situation intolerable and are now requesting that the Empire officially step in to provide help in terms of assistance in terms of resources and enforcement of rule and law outside of the walls to improve conditions. Immediately, the Empire immediately attempted to improve conditions.

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    Her majesty, Anastasia Kamateros, is a constant companion and a good advisor for her husband in her own right. The Empress, outside of that role, is also a representative of the crown to the noble house of Kamateros. Happily married to her husband, Anastasia seemed very pleased to announce that her family had decided to show its support for the throne and for the blissful union of Manuel and Anastasia.

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    On Feburary 5th 1503, the great chief Soonongjoowau Hostayuntwa of the Iroquois had died at the age of 54. Known as a great chief to the confederacy, he was instrumental for the success of Christianity in the region and for becoming a loyal vassal of the Elysians in exchange for protection. Loved by both converted natives and Elysians alike, the Iroquois would enter a period of mourning. A friend of his older brother, Emperor Manuel personally paid for funeral expenses for the great chief.

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    With preparations for the south completed by late 1503, the largest of the barbaroi of the region, the Choctaw, had built up an alliance chain that comprised of their neighbours. Seeing this as a means to eliminate all opposition among the south, Elysia mobilised and ascembed an intimidating number of soldiers in the area. Outnumbering the natives almost three to one, and completely outclassing them in practical combat efficiency, Elysia declared war. And in the coming days, the natives would have no idea what would hit them.

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    Logistically, the commanders of individual themes immediately worked together to launch coordinated attacks against the barbaroi armies. The harsh terrain of the south, with its swamps and vast woodlands, slowed down the progress of military advancement considerably. Along the terrain, the Thema’s had to cross the vast mississippi river which slowed down advancements. The inhospitable terrain made the campaign difficult, and for the Empire, attrition and disease was a larger problem than combat with the natives. Explorers within the region had trouble within the area prior to the war, but fortunately, the downsides of traveling in the region seen a change of fortunes.

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    Early in the war, the overwhelming strength of an Elysian offensive completely overwhelmed the Natchez in Tennessee. While the Elysians had numerical superiority, the offensive abilities of its hardened soldiers devastated the barabori. Tiverios Phouskarnaki, using the double-envelopment tactic, surrounded and annihilated the Natchez. Enclosed in a pocket, the Elysians created an unbreakable wall around the Natchez and began destroying them. As the barbaroi were cut down, they began taking horrendous casualties and panic rapidly set along their ranks as they tried to break formation and flee. Some openly committed suicide while standing right next to their own soldiers, and the Natchez were in complete disarray.

    In only six hours, the Natchez were killed where they stood, and all 6,000 of them were killed to the last man. The Natchez commander would later be executed by the Elysians after the battle, and the Elysians won the battle at the cost of a small amount of their forces. The devastation of the Natchez was so severe that Tiverious deliberately refused a burial for the dead barbaroi, using their corpses as a grim reminder for all barbaroi who fight against Elysia.

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    During the astounding success of the Choctaw War, Emperor Manuel made an impassioned speech to the senate. Cultural fragmentation, while having occurred for decades, had become much more noticeable as the Elysians spread far and wide. The capital and the surrounding Elysian bay had stayed as close as possible to the old traditional hellenic ways as possible, largely due to formal usage at court and among the nobility in the area, to which the dialect was known as High Elysian. Among the coastal provinces, there was the Elyshi who spoke a rougher pronunciation of the language that became popular among sailors due to the difficulty of speaking along the decks due to the loud winds and waves. Inland, the Elyric had become the closest among the natives and had the largest adoption of their languages, and natives who had integrated into the Empire had. Alongside the senate, Emperor Manuel popularly reformed the senate and began reforms upon the government of the Empire.

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    Despite the various accents and changes in language, the Elysians still spoke a common tongue that was influenced in both former Greek and Native languages and even had cosmopolitan traces in the language left over from the Old World as well as the new one. As the Empire continued to grow, so would its language and culture.
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    By 1504, Elysian explorers had made a breathtaking discovery. From fauna and flora to intricate rivers and other surprises, the Elysians were fascinated at every turn at the beauty and wealth that Elysium had provided its people with. But expectations were blown out of the water with the discovery of a grand city the natives called “Cahokia”. Built on the top of giant earth mounds and standing between the intersection of three great rivers, Cahokia amazed Elysians due to its unique oddity as a shining example of the potential of this new land and its people.

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    In Creta Minor, with the reformation of the senate and administration, Emperor Manuel allowed the Creatan’s to retain their home-rule as an ever-stalwart ally and bulwark to the East. Continuing the current state of affairs, Emperor Manuel would task Creta Minor wish an exceptionally special task. For their loyalty to the Empire, Creta Minor would be given the task to explore and settle the Kykladian Archipelago for the Empire, allowing the Elysians to focus on the mainland. The Senate and the Empire will help with supplying the Cretans with whatever they need, and the Cretans would be given more of a say among the Empire. Immediately, the Cretans leapt at the offer and offered their gratitude for Elysia.

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    In the battle of Michigamea, the Choctaw were eliminated by the Elysians are a great upset, once again led by Tiverios Phouskarnaki. With the defeat of the Choctaw and the lands of their allies occupied, negotiations would be harsh.

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    A year after the start of the war, the Elysians made a decisive victory in the south against the Choctaw and their allies. The Choctaw, Appalanshee and Natchez would all be annexed into the Empire and experience swift integration. On a territorial aspect, the war was a complete success. The territory of the Empire, combined with existing settlements and colonies already being built in the south, had largely achieved the ambition that Emperor Manuel desired. Rather than a long costly campaign that senators projected to take ten to twenty years, the Elysians had taken well over 70% of the desired territories in just over a year. Emperor Manuel’s popularity soared to new heights, and the Elysian Emperor gave thanks to God and the brave men for the Empire for their contribution into making the Empire strong.

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    With the average citizen’s wealth increasing, alongside a blossoming economy, it became profitable once again to produce silk. One of the treasures brought by the Eastern Romans during the odyssey, a closed section of the capital has been given the sole rights to produce silk. Highly supervised by royal administrators to ensure that all parts of production remain as separated and secret as possible, the wealth of the capital continued to soar due to the monopoly that Nea Konstantinopolis held on clothing and silk. This new ‘Elysian Silk’ allowed the already extremely wealthy capital to thrive even more, and even reach greater heights than Old Konstantinopolis had ever reached. All that was stopping the Elysians from becoming even greater then their ancestors was the population, which while growing at tremendous speeds, was still miniscule in comparison to that of the Old World.

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    The Elysian Empire, as of 1505, had seen such rapid growth in every shape and form. In was the perfect example of wealth, might and glory among the new world. And yet, the Empire still had a very long way to go yet. Emperor Manuel watched ships pass by as he overlooked the great river, looking out the palace windows. He remembered the story that his father told him as a young boy, about the visions from god from an uncle he never knew and how they were originally interpreted as dreams. The visions that his father’s brother had received allowed the Odyssey to happen.

    As a young boy, his father Constantine had deliberately left out the last half of the visions that were seen. But as the young Manuel grew into the man he was today, he finally began to understand what was exactly left out. It was the ambitions of the future.

    Manuel soon turned around and began to walk out of the room he was in, pondering in deep thought about the stories he was told when he was younger. He had heard stories of the old homeland, and how they came from a world unlike that of Elysium, a world that was known as ‘Europe’. In time, the Emperor thought, it would be time to rediscover what the ancestral homelands of the Romans and Greeks were like.

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    After the agreement for becoming a vassal of the Empire during the reign of Emperor John, the terms for the Iroquois was the reinforcement of their military and that for a period of ten to fifteen years, the Iroquois would not be required to pay taxes to the Empire. Under the rule of Manuel, the Emperor declared the status of March be revoked among the Iroquois as per agreement and return to the status of vassal once again. While this was to harm the relationship between the two states, it would begin to return again overtime.

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    With the silk industry having been resurrected, the Elysian Silk that was being produced in the capital was already within high demand as the first clothing made with the material was being released. Due to its high demand, the economy seen a noticeable boost.

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    In the south, the Elysian Orthodox citizens have petitioned for a local bishop to become promoted as Patriarch for the region. Wanting to strengthen the newly conquered territory under Elysian influence, the Ecumential Patriarch confirmed the bishop.

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    With the new senate, Nea Konstantinopolis still remained the small wealthy capital that it had always been. After decades of growth, the first act of the Emperor and the reorganised Elysian Senate was the expansion of the Capital. With new funding, the capital received a concentrated focus on improving the city and making it as grand as the great cities of old. With hygiene becoming less and less of an issue and the population in the city on the rise, the opulence of the capital was to be put onto display. Like Rome, the city was to be transformed from a small city and into a sprawling metropolis of a grand Empire. Building projects started to be funded left and right, and the capital started to truly look modern and grand.

    So much was the wealth currently in the city and the wealth being invested into it that, among the Emporoi, the capital was referred to as the ‘City of Dreams’. If a simple merchant can make it in the capital, it can make it anywhere in the world.

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    With solid control over the Elysian bay, there are many within the senate and the estates of the Empire who believe that the Empire should cement this dominance and make a lasting testament of glory of every ship that passes through Seagate. On 1506, funding had been approved to for the construction of giant stone statues of guardians, doubling as lighthouses, to be build at both sides of the Elysian Bay.

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    In Spartania, having secured the region from all possible threats, King Leonidas declared the coming era of his realm to enter the Golden Era of Spartania. Although the Spartans had worked hard to secure their new realm, it started to become apparent of the aging King Leonidas, and many feared of what life could be without their living legend of a ruler.

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    To compensate for the large spending on large-scale projects, treasurers argued that the senate needed to enact some reform in retain the economy’s strength. With a new master of mint needing to be hired to take care of the economy, the reforms were enacted, much to the displeasure of those who were relying on the progress of the economy.

    280px-Durer_selfporitrait.jpg

    Emperor Manuel I Palaiologos of Elysia, c. 1507

    Within another boom period of the economy and for plans to strengthen the nation, the Emperor was widely seen as bringing wealth to the commoners. Although his social policies were largely traditionalist, especially in matters on religion, there was none in Elysia who could claim that the Emperor wasn’t caring about the nation as a whole. Primarily responsible for a new wave of exploration and colonisation, the Emperor and the Senate worked hard. Although age was now starting to catch up to Manuel, the older Emperor brought about change on a more practical scale unlike the Emperors before him.

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    And it showed. The Empire’s growth had now started to overwhelm even the greatest of antiquity. With humble origins similar to Rome, the Empire grew from a single capital to the gigantic Empire it became in a short period of time. The coming years was to be a period of growth as a mighty Imperium, capable of mastering this new world and had the potential to rule beyond that. Emperor Constantine famously spoke that on the day that Elysia could walk on its own, it would be the day that he would die. Emperor John, his successor, was able to guide the Empire to walk onto it’s own two feet without stumbling, and after practise, it was carefully able to walk upright.

    Now….it was time for Elysia to run.
     
    Chapter 12: The King in the North (1507-1514)
  • Chapter 12: The King in the North (1507-1514)

    With progress among the frontier to the south, the Empire had been keeping itself occupied for some time. From the Choctaw War to ambitious projects designed on allowing Elysian greatness to be projected the world. From the guardian statues at Seagate to the expensive colonial operations that required on building new settlement, the majority of the efforts was concentrated within the capital region. Notably, the Emperor and the Senate worked hard on transforming Nea Konstantinopolis from a largely brick and stone city into a cosmopolitan metropolis rivaling Rome and Constantinople at their greatest points.

    The traditionalist Emperor worked among the senate in beautifying and expanding upon the capital, where a very large sum from the Imperial Treasury was injected in purchasing the raw materials just to be able to expand the capital beyond its current limits. Some argued that finances could be better spent in other sectors of the Empire, and some even pushed for war with northern neighboring tribes. Nonetheless, the majority of senators didn’t feel the pressure to push for other reforms or projects and focused onto the expansion of the capital. If the Empire was to continue to thrive, it was to need a capital city worthy of its greatness.

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    The barbaroi, as a means to try and outmatch the Elysians, had been in search of metals to help them fight against the growing Empire. By pure luck, one of their mines had struck gold and was closer to an Elysian farm then it was to their villages. With a clear lack of borders, Elysia had a strong claim to seize the mine and surrounding lands for the Empire.

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    As the capital had undergone a period of transformation, members of the Varangian Guard had experienced too much of a good time. Aggressively, the Varangians had made their way around the capitol, setting fire to small buildings and harassing the locals. If not contained quick enough, extensive damage to an important amount of production buildings in the area would severely hinder progress in expanding the capital.

    On the other side of the capital, Emperor Manuel was enraged at the foolishness of the Varangians and immediately dealt with the City Guard to be called in at once. The City Guard was to be ordered to put an end to the chaos in the capital by any means necessary. Interestingly, the commanders on both sides were related, being two brothers from the house of Romanos. While the resemblance of the two were uncanny, Emperor Manuel questioned if they were related to the traitor Aineas Romanos who had attempted to overthrow Creta Minor over ten years prior.

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    Despite the City Guard being called in, the varangians didn’t disperse peacefully and immediately put up a fight. Soon enough, the City Guard was reinforced by Two Thema in order to counteract the large number of rioters. What followed would be a bloodbath, with fighting occuring along the streets, leaving thousands dead. Once the Empire got the upper hand in the conflict, the remainder of the Varangians quickly fled or dispersed peacefully, but the damage was done to the neighbourhood. Konstantinos Romanos, found guilty of many crimes that included leading a armed riot, was sentenced to harsh punishment of life imprisonment by the Senate. Manuel I, disgusted by the captain, made sure that Konstantinos would “Never see freedom again”, reinforcing the no-nonsense attitude that the Emperor had about rebellion and traitors.

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    After the riots in the capital, the leading figures of the church, emboldened by the massive popular support that they have come to receive, have come to the Emperor requesting increased autonomy for their dioceses. The Elysian Church claimed that, to make it easier to tend to their flocks, they must claim slight separation from the Empire. Against his better judgement, Emperor Manuel accepted despite the Church clearly lying about their position, but denying them their autonomy would destabilize the realm in such an important time.

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    For nearly thirty years, the Cherokee had been a stalwart vassal to the Empire in the west. While not always being on the best of terms with the Elysians originally, the Cherokee’s hand was forced upon their defeat in the 1470’s and accepted to become a vassal to retain semi-independence from the crown. Many years later, following their conversion to Christianity, the Cherokee’s perception of the Empire completely change from what was open hostility to grateful friendship. In 1507, annexation efforts began to bring the Cherokee into the realm, a process that was to take a year.

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    In the military, a set of measures to reform the military system began under Emperor Manuel. Tactical innovations included shallower and broader formations to maximise firepower, cross training between army branches and light field artillery. The new doctrine is based on firepower and mobility. The Emperor, already extremely confident in the performance of the highly capable military already, felt that there was no need of such a reform and instead wished to inspire more young men to pursue a life in the military.

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    In the north, the Eire had conquered the area known as Shalteras. Sitting in a dangerous position to the frontiers, the Elysians had claim of the region for quite some time before the Eire took the region. The Elysians made a simple yet menacing request. Give Shalteras to the Empire, or be annihilated. Despite not wanting to throw away what the Eire had fought a previous war over, the natives had no choice but to give up the area. Elysian settlers immediately settled in the region after being incorporated into the Empire, further following up with Elysification of the region.

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    The Choctaw War, also known as the Southern Campaign, was a major success to the Empire. While the amount of territory that was gained was tremendous, it was not well integrated into the realm. In order to help with the integration of the south, the important cities of the region do not have the same rights as cities in the East do. To solve this problem, a motion was proposed in the Senate to allow a ‘Senate of Cities’, which would greatly increase the speed of their integration. While they would be incredibly happy that their voices would be heard, they were still the voices and wounds of a subjugated people. Concerned Senators argued that this would complicate internal politics, and in the long run, could become a bureaucratic nightmare. Emperor Manuel figured that the reward of quicker integration was not worth the risk of threatening stability of the Empire over, and seen no need to further complications with new territories.

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    After decades of loyalty, the Cherokee officially joined the Empire as a whole in 1508. While there would be alot of adapting to regional laws, administration of the realm was much easier than administering newly conquered territories. Already being Christians, the Cherokee started to abandon the ways of their ancestors and started to become Elysians in their own right.

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    As the cold season arrived in 1510, perhaps the most ambitious exploration project in Elysian history would commence. After many decades in isolation from the rest of the world, the Elysians had no knowledge of anything that had happened in the old world. It had come for the Empire to see what had become of their ancestor’s homeland in Europe, and with the universal backing of the Senate and the Emperor himself, three small ships were constructed and reinforced for cross-ocean voyages. To further assist the Empire, a famous explorer named Pytheas was hired and will use ancient maps from the Romans along as well as scattered accounts from the odyssey.


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    Pytheas Acominatus. An experienced captain and explorer from Nea Atheni, his ten year voyage into Europe would lead the Elysians to rediscover the European continent and surrounding areas in detail. He would return to Elysia as a national hero.
    Pytheas would leave the docks of Nea Konstantinopolis in early november, traveling to Seaport a couple of days later, and then sailing to Lanthanopolis before heading into the horizon. Citizens of Lanthanopolis cheered on the voyagers as they restocked their supplies before heading off into the ocean before vanishing into the distance. This would be the last time that Elysians would see the explorers for many years.

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    During 1511 and 1512, the Empire would enter into a series of wars along the new frontier. Elysian dominance in military matters continued to terrify any native army that could be encountered and most wars were simply won after only one battle. While little territorial advances were made, the new gains of the Empire were in strong geographical positions that would benefit Elysia. The South, out of any clear understanding, was won by Elysia in less then ten years. The first year seen the majority of the gains, while the rest were settler focused with periods of warfare.

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    So terrifying was the Elysian offensive capabilities in the new world, the Empire was well-known for its powerful armies. Soldiers who served in the Thema for a set period of time received a generous retirement benefits in the form of land grants along the frontier. Inspired by the ancient Marian reforms, soldiers who had completed their term of service would receive a pension by their general and a plot of land in the conquered regions or the frontier regions to retire upon. Officers and Commanders, notably, received far greater pensions than that of the common soldier. While the incentives of the military were known to be grand, the Elysian Army wasn’t truly in the model of the ultra-disciplined legionaries of ancient rome, at least not yet. But on the home continent, they arguably surpassed them in effectiveness against Barbaroi.

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    Sad news would come from Lanthanopolis. Anna I Notaras of the reorganised realm of Kykladia had died in her early 60’s. A cunning and popular leader who faced the traitor Aineas Romanos in the eyes. Anna’s last official edict as ruler was to reorganise the tiny realm of Creta Minor into a true kingdom, claiming the entirety of the Kykladian Archipelago for the Elysian Empire and themselves. She would be greatly missed among the Kykladians.

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    Her son, crowned John IX Nostras, set about on his mother’s task of settling in the Kyklades. Arriving on one of the larger islands in the region, the new King and thousands of settlers immediately got to work within the region. The Senate believes that, in due time, the amount of wealth generated from the Kyklades would be extremely beneficial to the Empire.

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    To the north, the Norse would continue to surprise the Elysians and the rest of the continent. The fruits of the aggressive campaigns led by Leif V Erikson bore fruit, and just prior to Elysian exploration of the frozen north, the North changed. Leif V, now becoming an old man, had lived a long yet eventful life. With the North having been under control for a very long time, the old Jarl had formally declared the sovereign state of Vinland in late 1513.

    Interestingly, the Jarl had reorganised his entire government completely and introduced a semi-republican form of monarchy. Leif V would serve as the first ruler of Vinland for a period of time until it would be time to retire, wanting to step away from a life in politics and rulership. Time will tell on what the destiny of a united Vinland would bring.

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    As a means to compete with the Christians of the South, Leif V was inspired by the reformation of Old Orthodoxy and seen its transition into Elysian Orthodoxy. Wanting to strengthen the faith, Vinland would spend time on reforming the Norse religion to suit the new united realm in the north. If seen as a precaution of protecting the faith from the influences from Christianity, the Elysians were unsure of what to make of the North.

    As the coming years would draw to a close, the political climate had changed on Elysium. In the North, a united Vinland had ambitious claims to secure a lot of unoccupied territory between Elysia. In the South, Kykladia would focus its efforts on building the foundations of a new realm. Spartania would remain quiet for the time being, focusing on consolidation of the state. While in Elysia, the southern frontier had left the Empire finishing far ahead of schedule. In a position where the Empire can go anywhere, the Empire desired for continued growth.
     
    Chapter 13: Memories (1514-1518)
  • Wow, I'm actually quite surprised that you denied the Extended Senate of Cities, as it gives +15% admin efficiency.

    Just because I'm playing as a powerful Empire doesn't mean that I'm gonna always make the best choices as Emperor. I'am roleplaying my rulers for realism afterall. ;)


    It seems Elysia will become a OP USA, when there is the option, will you return to Old world or put a puppet there ? Do you have a full map of elysia ?
    No full map just yet, but I've got plenty of ideas on how to deal with the Old World. Let's just say that it's definitely going to be a big deal when I return "Home". :)

    Chapter 13: Memories (1514-1518)

    With the sudden newfound strength of Vinland to the north, the surprising development took the Elysians by surprise. The North, traditionally associated with cold winds and vast arctic forests and waters, suddenly seen the rise of Vinland as a regional power. The elderly Jarl, Leif V, worked hard to consolidate the new republic after surrendering a vast majority of his powers to ensure the stability of the North after his death. The Althing, a group of powerful free men, selected their new leader to rule as an elected Jarl who shares authority with the Althing. While claiming to be a republic, the Elysians knew that it simply wasn’t true. Unless provoked by the Norse themselves, the Elysians didn’t want to get on bad relations with the Northerners.

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    With a growing Empire, Elysia had taken some time to focus solely onto the southern frontier. With weak tribes to the North that posed little threat, the south was almost all but guaranteed. With the South almost colonised, it left Emperor Manuel to ponder about the Empire’s next frontier. To the west, the frontier was drastically more different than any environment that the Elysians had settled in. Endless plains were known to exist to the west, with much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland. To the south, several advisors recommended the Emperor to pursue focusing along the coastline to secure the area before the ambitious Spartanians could settle in the region. Wanting to secure the south first, it would take some time before a choice would be made for future expansion.

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    The Osage, one of the weaker tribes near the outskirts of the Empire, held an important area that served as an intersection between the lands of the north and south. But also of strategic importance was the Tonkawa, who would needed to be dealt with in order to strengthen the south. Notably, Cahokia refused to aid their allies, notably shortening the conflict from could have been a large-scale conflict.

    With war declared, the Imperial Thema immediately stormed the territories of the Osage in force.

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    Tiveros Phouskarnaki would lead the Elysians to victory at the Battle of Mengkonkia. While numbers were small for the native army, field artillery was used against the Osage with the commander wanting to try out new techniques. With the terrifyingly loud sound and the destruction caused by the cannons, the Osage took heavy casualties. While some Elysian lives were lost, Osage completely lost momentum and were run-down.

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    In the Empire, wealthy merchants and various nobles entered onto the fashion craze of “Nordic Fashion”. More and more people had been seeking out seal leather clothing, exotic items made from walrus ivory, bracelets and other trinkets and all sorts of exotic jewelry. With demand high, Vinland relished in the chance to supply the citizens of Elysia with such exotic fashion.

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    The Dynatoi, long having been influential landowners and the strong warrior class in the Empire, had been suffering misfortune after misfortune. Political infighting amongst themselves among with bitter factionalism had left the Dynatoi to have lost influence in the capital. Many had become so bitter of life in the capital that many had retired to their properties in the countryside.

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    In 1515, Emperor Manuel and the Senate had come together to discuss the Albanians living among Elysia. While having been loyal Elysian citizens for decades, the Albanians rarely integrated well outside of their own culture group and kept to themselves. The time had come that, after much discussion, an attempt be made to integrate the Albanians into the Empire completely. If it failed, then it simply couldn’t be done.

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    The Elysian Orthodox Church, while a cornerstone in society of the Empire, was also incredibly wealthy. While many argued that it would be wise to reign the Church into matters of state more, the Emperor himself was an exceedingly pious man. Manuel I immediately protected the Independence of the Church.

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    After a year and a half of fighting, the Osage and the Tonkawa were defeated and both were annexed into the Empire. The remaining tribes were forced to make tribute to the Elysians, but the Empire hadn’t deemed them a threat in any way.

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    While having explored the North for quite some time, Elysian efforts to chart Vinland and the north of Elysium were denied. With explorers unable to continue long-term exploration, the Empire had asked Vinland to share the maps for the region alongside them as the two nations had been allies for many decades. Vinland, not wanting to feel compromised on all fronts, declined the request completely. The Jarl, while leading an united Vinland, formally wrote that the Norse did not want ‘Distractions’ to interrupt Vinland from achieving greatness on its own.

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    Emperor Manuel, frustrated at Vinland for declining the opportunity to share maps, started to work on an Elysia without his rule. As the Empire grew, so did its needs. To match this growth, Emperor Manuel personally focused all efforts onto the expansion of the state.

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    Always wanting to improve the Empire in his own way, the deeply religious Emperor introduced new formal acts relating to the Elysian Orthodox religion. The Conventicle and the Declaration of Indulgence Act were both passed by the Senate with strong Imperial backing by the Emperor and the Church themselves.

    By law, nonconformists to christnanity were now discouraged by forming any form of religious assembly for more than five people unless approved by Church. Meanwhile, penal laws for members for other religions than the established church were suspended. Freedom of public worship and rights of advancements in military and civil offices were not allowed, hoping to encourage more barbaroi to convert to the true faith.

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    In January 1516, the fearsome Elysian army was reorganized once again. New small regiments known as Allagia, appeared in the Empire’s ranks. Comprised of Elysians, the armies featured armored infantry wielding halberds and pikes in melee. Notably, the Elysians incorporated the use of chiefly crossbows, with were designed to maintain its powerful bolts while also being user friendly. As well as being easy to manufacture, the Elysians started to incorporate long-range weaponry to reduce the risk of injury.

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    With the raw destructive power of cannons, the Elysians developed an early model of their own. While not very accurate in hitting their target, the cannon was renowned for its long range firing capabilities. While also incorporating a fear-factor along the barbaroi, the cannons were especially useful in siege warfare.

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    An Elderly Manuel I towards the end of his life, c. 1516

    Now within his early sixties, Emperor Manuel had done his best to guide Elysia. Many of his subjects think of the Emperor’s leadership as somewhat harsh but fair. He was popularized for being somewhat like a parental figure for the developing nation. The faithful had always enjoyed the Emperor’s personal piety, with the construction of churches throughout the Empire usually being constructed from the Emperor’s own coffers. Inside the Imperial Palace, Manuel also redecorated the Palace’s chapel with more iconography and ornaments. Emperor Manuel told his closest advisers that, had he never been born into the Imperial Family, he would have pursued life as a priest within the larger cities or even focus on a more monastic life. Yet, Manuel felt prideful that he was born to become a future Emperor, believing that God allowed Manuel to lead a life of faith and rulership to guide the Empire.
    JOi3d9MPWw-P9xnEUdvWm3lCHUjwMUvYjq-lTyHEeUIKmzpetk_FK-BljrVOkDFwkuf-CEtVYAu-nxcDmF1-2MfeofkXqmLkRvv3D7x-olhhqhC5BXBH2Zin3j-sDpUASLAlm0sn


    To the south, the Elysian Kingdom of Kykladia had focused on settling the remainder of their home island with a small capital in the southern centre of the island. The small Kingdom, dominated by Elysian nobles that had acquired great autonomy from the empire, was starting to flourish. Despot Ioannes IX, leading the efforts for Kykladian expansion, was supported by Empire on the mainland and received many political and economic freedoms that many subjects in the Empire simply didn’t have.

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    By 1517, the Senate had discussed the issue of the Albanians and came up with a plan to integrate the Albanians into Elysian society. Crucial to this plan was that their customs and traditions are to be interfered minimally. Although coming contact with traders and employing Hellenised natives, they had already integrated some of the Elysian language into their own. The Senate focused on funding local events that are both Elysian in origin as well as their own with the hopes that the Albanians would adopt some Elysian customs as well. Once the Albanians would open up and seen the good will of the Elysians, the populace would be much more accepting towards further changes. The Dynatoi however, were nervous about such plans and could openly interfere with integration plans.

    The Empire decided to attempt integration of the Albanians with the hopes that, finally, the Albanians would finally integrate into Elysian society.

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    With the Thema overstretched and now having to cover a large amount of territory, another Thema was raised near the frontier. The Elysian army now numbered just over 80,000 across the Empire and were largely dominant in their duties.

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    Under the Empire’s ascendency, the Elysians had secured their own home region among the East coast. With such growth likely to continue, all across this new world recognised that Elysia wasn’t just a lesser nation anymore.

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    The Ecumenial Patriarch, Daniel I, had approached the Emperor with a solution to the conflicts between Emperor Manuel and the Church. As a means to increase the effectiveness of the realm, he proposed that they could rule together, as Emperor and Patriarch. Daniel I claimed that the priests would listen to him, and that they would settle down and stop clamoring for autonomy and lands.

    Manuel I, although a wise pious man, was not a fool. Although he recognised the potential benefits of agreeing upon this solution, he seen through the Patriarch’s ‘solution’ for what it truly was, the undermining of Imperial Rule. Frustrated at the constant claims of the church for more territory, Manuel I completely rejected the proposal put forth to him and asked guards to escort the Patriarch out from the Imperial Palace. Constantly feeling undermined by the church, Manuel was notably bitter towards the institution but still maintained his faith.

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    Varangian Merchants in the north had been targeted by the citizens of Cheraw, claiming that they had been using unfair advantages to out-compete local businesses in the area. The citizens claimed that the Empire step in to limit the influence of foreign traders n the area, otherwise local businesses would have no way to compete and simply shut down. Should the Empire not intervene soon, the citizens might take matters into their own hands. Finding out about this, the Empire immediately stepped in to protect Elysian trade, although it had the consequence of the Varangian Order being more than annoyed at the Emperor.

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    The original library of Alexandrina, which contained many great works of which no copies exist to the date, was destroyed many millennia ago under dubious circumstances. While nobody really knew what had happened on the day the greatest library in all of antiquity was burned, much was lost that day. But with the growth of a rather large selection of works, old and new, Emperor Manuel decided that it would be beneficial to open up a library to the public.

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    Art depicting the new Library of Alexandria during building efforts to expand the area, c.1518


    Plans were expanded within Nea Aleksandria to construct many adjacent educational institutes and encourage greater scientific advancement. On the 10th February 1518, a new Alexandrian Library was founded. In the coming decades, Nea Alexandrina would become the educational heart of Elysia. While it had already been a place of learning, it was truly starting to shine in its reputation.

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    A more sinister change had occurred within the social fabric of the nation. Bribes had been seen as a natural consequence of life, and any action carried a price. Nowhere was this more evident than in the capital, powerful figures were always under the influence of corruption. While it wasn’t much of an issue for now, advisers warned the Emperor that he should worry about this.

    With the signs of old age starting to now truly be felt, Emperor Manuel believed that he personally did not have much time left. Despite physically feeling less capable then before, the Emperor had plenty of spirit within him as he rigorously worked hard. Like the uncle he had never met, Manuel started to have dreams. This time, it was not of Elysium. It was not about any region of the Empire, nor its barbaroi neighbors. It was of a large cosmopolitan continent, filled with diverse peoples with great culture and even greater ambitions. From a frozen north to a warm south, one place in particular seemed to fascinate him. It was a place where his dreams turned from tranquil and calm into a whirlwind of wild thought.

    He had dreamed of Europe....
     
    Chapter 14: The Ocean Blue (1518 - 1521)
  • SAw your AAR showcased in the latest showcase and i must say im hooked to the screens..
    love how this is progressing and wish you luck for your future endeavours..
    But seriously..
    Any plans to return to your empire?

    (You will see, don't worry! The glory of Rome ain't got nothing for what I've got planned for ;)

    Chapter 14: The Ocean Blue (1518 - 1521)

    The Elysian Eagle had spread its wings far and wide in just under twenty years, mastering the vast expanse of the south in only a relatively short time. The sudden strength could be attributed to a strong centralized imperial government, or the success of the Empire could be attributed towards the fortunes that had blessed the Empire within the previous years. On a popular scale, general consensus among the commoners believed that the success behind Elysia could be largely thanked by Emperor Manuel I Palaeologus, the last son of Constantine I ‘The Savior’.

    Manuel I had a more pragmatic approach to life then his older brother. While John I would get carried away with headstrong optimism, it fell to Manuel to medicate and force a more realistic alternative to achieve the goals that the Empire desired. For most of his life, Manuel worked tirelessly to achieve political stability and implement institutions that made the Empire’s system of government work as it became larger and larger. Dependency on the will and rule of one had simply not become an option anymore, especially should the Empire be ruled by tyrants.

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    Early into his reign, Manuel had reorganised the government to prevent the Empire becoming unstable. The government was still led by an Emperor, with a title passed down from father to son, but with substantial power to the senate or people’s meeting. Manuel personally a considerable amount of his own power and delegated it to the senate. With the Emperor recognised as leader, he has a hard time carrying out any decisions. But it did, however, create easier management of the empire. With an emphasis on Imperial Unity above all else, Manuel and the Senate would transition Elysia into a Senatorial Empire.

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    Other then the Norse religion in the north, Christ ruled supreme in this new world. From Spartania and the Kykladies to Elysia and the Borealian Lakes, Elysian Orthodox was becoming popular among barbaroi within Elysian influence. While Totemism is still the most widely practised religion, the majority of ‘civilized’ societies on the continent were Christian. With the rapid growth of the Empire so far, Christianity would spread across the new world for quite some time.

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    The Wampanoag, the last known major tribe to the north, were conquered by Vinland after a quick campaign. With Norse efforts solely squared on settling the areas between the Elysian Empire, the Althing seemed content with the Status Quo.

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    Surprising developments had come out from the north. Cahokia, once a large native power, was completely humiliated by a tribe only a quarter of their size. People known as the Meskwaki, known to the Elysians as the Fox, completely devastated the Cahokians in warfare and conquered nearly their entire territory. To add insult to injury, the Meskwaki had also conquered the prestigious native city of Cahokia itself. Cahokia’s southern frontier was a colonial settlement of their own and barely populated, leaving the Cahokians a shadow of their former selves. Taking pride in their accomplishment, the Fox mockingly decided to rub salt in the wounds of the Cahokians by declaring the “Meskwaki Empire”. It is unknown if the Cahokians will ever recover from the war, but such a development seemed to have alarmed Elysians in nearby regions

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    It was common knowledge across the realm that Emperor Manuel was a man of deep faith. So much so that the Dynatoi could see his zeal in almost every single thing that he did. From making friends within politics to dealing with enemies of god. His enthusiasm and commitment for the true faith was so deep, he was seen as a Zealot.

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    In the neighboring lands, news quickly made its way into the Imperial Palace that the Erie had converted to Christianity. The conversion of the true faith was made possible by missionaries who had noticed that the Erie, under heavy influence from the Empire, were also next to the Shawnee that threatened to end their way of life. Diplomats immediately were sent to foster good relations with the Erie, where hopefully, they can be persuaded to join the Empire in a similar to the Iroquois.

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    After ten years on the seas, the great explorer Pytheas has returned from Europe. Despite his best efforts to replicate the travels of his ancestors, Pytheas was blown off course and arrived off the coast of what the ancestors of ancient Hellas had originally thought to be the end of the world, Ireland. Spending time in Ireland for several months, Pytheas had gained vast knowledge of the world and had discovered that it had changed vastly since the Romans embarked on the Odyssey.

    His arrival had caused a big controversy in Europe. Pytheas’s arrival had gathered him nothing short of celebrity status. Major governments across Europe sought to allow the explorer into their homelands, deeply curious about how foreign he was in his language and mannerisms. From arriving in Western Europe, Pytheas would move all the way across Europe. From France and Iberia, to the nordic realms to the Italian states, and then across Eastern Europe and the Balkans.

    After nearly ten years in Europe, Pytheas would sail home to the Empire, arriving just before the start of 1520. The great explorer’s exploration had been a resounding success and Pytheas became a national hero. The aging Emperor had even extended an invitation to Pytheas to become an advisor to the Emperor in the Imperial Palace, while his family in Nea Atheni would be compensated in a lifetime's worth of gold. With the Old World back in contact, the Emperor and the Senate keenly focused on the reportings that Pytheas had made of Europe.

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    Western Europe was largely made up of powerful states. In Iberia, the Kingdom of Castile and Aragon held dominion over a huge portion of the peninsular alongside the Aragonese holdings in Italy. Portugal had largely flew under the radar and had done nothing of note in Europe. France, having won its century long war against England, largely focused on securing their homeland and balanced diplomacy and expansion, and was seen as the strongest nation in Western Europe thanks to its strong economy. Burgundy, once a serious threat France, had completely shattered and lost their vassals in the Lowlands completely but had slowly been making a resurgence. In the Isles, England surprisingly managed to unite the entire British Isles and declared the Kingdom of Great Britain. The new kingdom, while English dominated in politics, allowed equal citizenship and law amongst the Irish and Scottish peoples to create a united cosmopolitan realm.

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    In the north, Scandinavia was another story. After gaining independence from Denmark in a short but bloody war, Sweden had become the master of the North. Denmark, with the integration of Norway into the realm, cautiously watched Sweden. With the Swedish holding their new position, the Baltics became a contested region between Sweden and Poland. Of note, the Livonian Order had lost their entire realm with only the Estonian Islands left.

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    In Italy, both republics and monarchies both dominated the peninsula. With Southern Italy firmly under Spanish influence, the North had seen the rise of the Republic of Siena and the decline of Milan and Savoy. The Papal State, sitting in central Italy, remained a powerful regional power. Venice, once the master of trade and the waters of the Mediterranean, had been confined to the prestigious city itself and a rebellious Crete. With the Habsburgs of Austria seeing the mainland holdings of the Serene Republic, the fortunes of Venice were finally running out.

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    In the Holy Roman Empire, the political situation within the Germanic peoples were constantly within breaking point. With the electors growing in strength, the Habsburgs of Austria had remained as Emperor for many decades. While powerful in their own right, Austria was only barely able to contain the Empire from an emerging threat. Reformation.

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    North Africa was, as Pytheas had referred it for lack of a better word, a “mess”. With the Iberians concentrating on continuing their reconquista against the Moors, Morocco was suffering against their united efforts. North Africa was a place of constant war, and it was a dangerous time to be a Sultan, as everyone in the region had enemies on all sides.

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    Eastern Europe interested Pytheas due to its stability. Poland and Lithuania, both united under a personal union, were dominant in the region as the lands of their union went from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. Moldavia, a vassal of Poland, quietly lived life out as normal. Hungary, as a pre-emptive means to curb Turkish expansion, seized Wallachia before the powerful Ottomans could. In the distance, an ascendent Muscovy quietly bided its time as the Russian Tsardom grew stronger and stronger while leaving Poland and Lithuania alone. Crimea, as the strongest tartar state, secured their growing horde at the cost of completely genociding the native greeks in the region. Circassia, an Orthodox nation, served to prevent Crimean expansion so far.

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    Finally, Pytheas last journey would take him to the Eastern Mediterranean. Extensively, Pytheas focused on the Turkish domination of the region. Most of the Balkans, Levant and all of Greece and Anatolia were in the hands of the proclaimed Ottoman Empire. Pockets of independent kingdoms remained, such as the Knights Hospitaller and the Crusader Kingdom of Cyprus, but the Turks were virtually unstoppable in the region. The Mamluk Sultanate, once a great power in the Arab world, were being crushed by the Turks and had seen enormous losses in Syria.

    As Pytheas would chart the Eastern Mediterranean, the great explorer would sail into the waters of Old Constantinople, becoming the first Elysian to do so. What he had seen reminded him of the Imperial Capital across the great sea, but the old city resembled nothing of the new city anymore. After the conquest of the city, the Turks had virtually genocided all remaining Greeks who had remained behind from the Odyssey, and the city was pillaged for three days. In the coming decades, Old Constantinople had lost its identity. The now turkish city was different to the old city in many ways, from known landmarks in the old city being razed or anything resembling any sense of Roman identity was eliminated. But the biggest desecration to Pytheas was the conversion of the ancient Hagia Sophia into an Imperial Mosque.

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    Importantly, Pytheas made detailed notes of a great disturbance in Europe. The Catholic Church, having grown incredibly corrupt, had seen the greatest disturbance to the faith since the East-West Schism. With the intent to originally reform the Catholic church, a religious movement known as the ‘Reformation’ arrived in Europe, rejecting papal supremacy and sacraments. New Christian sects appeared and Catholic supremacy of Europe was broken forever. The Holy Roman Empire, a vast majority of the concentration of reformists, had seen catholicism in Germany and the Lowlands amount to almost nothing despite best efforts by Austria to stop this. Meanwhile, in Great Britain, the Kingdom had rejected the Catholic church but had also rejected the ‘dangerous’ ideals of the reformation, instead creating its own church to promote religious unity in the British Isles.

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    With the recent rediscovery of Europe, news of the supposed demise of the romans had had a large impact on the culture of Europe, especially among the Portuguese and Western Europe. Having been wary of travelling too far west, the Iberians established a number of trading posts along the coast of West Africa and traded with the kingdoms there for gold and salt. Along with being largely cut out of the spice trade in the east, the Kingdoms of Europe were relatively poor. But with the rediscovery of Europe, Western Europe was absolutely enraged at the Elysians for their trickery. Emperor Manuel, hearing the furious attitude of the Old World, chuckled to himself as he imagined himself in the position that his uncle had been in during the odyssey. Elysia had made one thing clear, the Empire wasn’t going to make any friends, and Manuel couldn't care less.

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    While the current army is more than sufficient for battling the barbaroi, the massed armies of Europe had made Elysian armies simply couldn’t compare. The Military took notice and focused upon how Europeans were investing into firearm technology. The Empire took to hiring leading military theorists and instructors from across Europe to help assist Elysia in developing new tactics and the Empire’s own firearms technology. The path to modernisation had began.

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    The Thema were so mighty that victories happened one after another, largely due to the vastly superior discipline, tactics and equipment of the Empire. Europe took notice of this and were highly surprised. For a young nation, the Elysians were incredibly powerful. Recruitment started to rise, and the Empire began to make a name for itself on an international scale.

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    The Barbaroi Councils, whom have been an extreme minority in Elysia, were outraged. Listing several atrocities committed to them by both the other estates and the empire itself, the council's demanded increased autonomy or face open rebellion. Refusing completely, the barbaroi started an uprising and the Thema were tasked to put down the uprising.

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    The Barbaroi were doomed from the very start. Completely outnumbered and facing against the elite Thema, the native uprising was obliterated. Traitors to the crown were gathered, especially surviving leaders, were taken to the capital where they would receive trial. Almost all of them would be sentenced to death.

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    With contact with Europe restored, the benefits had already started to show. New ideas and techniques were brought to Elysium and it provided a benefit to the Empire. Working hard to strengthen the state that had been exiled and isolated for so long, Emperor Manuel had started to modernise the Empire.

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    With the discovery of the new world, life had completely changed. In Europe, this would start a new era as the spread of materials and techniques start to occur. Animals, crop types, silver and diseases spread along the vast atlantic and the beginnings of a truly global economy started to occur. For the old world and the new world, life was about to change forever...


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    Extremely ambitious, Theodosios I was eager to rule. While Belisarius had styled himself as a new Leonidas decades before, Manuel styled himself as the Elysian Augustus.
    On February 9th 1521, the last of the sons of Constantine passed away and with it, end of an era. Manuel I, at the age of 69, would pass away in his sleep from a heart attack. With the death of Manuel, rulership of the Empire would pass onto his second son, Theodosios. Manuel’s traditionalist rule would oversee great change in Elysia, and with his death, the era of the Sons of Constantine had ended.

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    And just days after taking the throne, the new Emperor Theodosios implemented his first edict. With current administration making it difficult of where citizens actually live, a mandatory census system was implemented. While also helping the Empire for tracking down men available for service in times of need, it would also decrease the impact of tax dodging and significantly reduce the number of corrupt tax collectors. With a census to be held every ten years, it would cause friction among all citizens of the Empire but significantly improve the administrative efficiency of the state.
     
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    Chapter 14.5: In Memoriam/Manuel I
  • Manuel I Palaiologos
    Lived: August 6th 1452 - February 9th 1521
    Emperor of Elysia: 1494 - 1521

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    Manuel I’s rule of Elysia was largely responsible for the future success that the Empire was about to experience. In a similar manner to his brother, Manuel I was a rule that was prioritised looking inward rather than outward, but the actions of the two rulers were completely different from one another. While his older brother valued a peaceful expansion, Manuel combined both warfare and diplomacy as a means to consolidate new frontiers for the Elysians. By the time of his death, the Empire had come close to almost doubling in size.

    The second son of the legendary Emperor Constantine, Manuel was born in the Imperial Palace on August 6th 1452. Living a relatively relaxing life within the Imperial Palace, Manuel would start frequently visiting different cities along the Empire during his mature years. Long before inheriting the crown and becoming Emperor, Manuel deeply sympathized with Christianity and often spent time discussing and studying theology. Manuel had considered giving up his rights for the throne and wished to pursue a monastic life as a priest, but had a burning desire to lead the growing Empire and to spread to word of Christ far beyond its borders. With great support from the dynatoi and even greater support from the church, Manuel ascended to the Imperial Throne upon the death of his brother in 1494.

    Ascending to the throne with no issues, Manuel settled into his new role as Emperor and focused primarily on expansion into new frontiers at the expense of the barbaroi. Within a period of ten years, the Elysians would come to settle and dominate the entirety of the southern mississippi. Barbaroi experienced conversion into christianity, either willingly on their own terms or being risked of being put to the sword. During such expansion, Manuel ensured that Imperial unity was maintained at all costs and ensured that stability was emphasised. Rebellions, such as the uprising of Lanthanopolis in 1496, were put down with extreme prejudice.

    By the start of the new century, the Empire was experiencing a great deal of changes. Cultural identities emerging following the continuation of the fragmentation of Greek and Elysian culture, to the development of Elysian Orthodoxy and its spread across the Empire and beyond its borders, Emperor Manuel would be responsible for reorganising the government to a more secure Senatorial Empire. Willingly restricting his own powers and delegating it to the senate, the more stable government had started to provide more benefits for Elysia than any sort of hindrances.

    Elysian dominance within the new world had been secured under Manuel I. Promoting ‘Faith and Unity’, Emperor Manuel I had seen the Empire grow tremendously in a reign that lasted for close to thirty years. There were many high-points in his reign, and all of them had transformed the Empire from a regional nation into a superpower in its own right.

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    The last painting of Emperor Manuel during his lifetime, c.1520

    At the height of his power, Manuel I would pass away at the age of 69 in his sleep. He left behind the Empire that had entered as one of the Great Powers of the modern world. While making the transition from an exiled nation into a modern empire, succession would pass to his second son, Theodosios.

    Manuel I’s legacy on the Empire could not be overestimated, with the effects of his rule being felt to modern day. After his death, consideration had been made for Emperor Manuel to achieve sainthood but didn't fill some of the qualifications for sainthood. Being buried in the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas in Nea Konstantinopolis nearby his brother John, Manuel I was largely regarded as a good and pious Emperor.
     
    Chapter 15: Stepping Stones (1521-1526)
  • Chapter 15: Stepping Stones (1521-1526)

    The passing of the late Emperor Manuel would have a profound impact on Elysian politics. The Emperor was praised for his achievements in both government and for the huge territorial expansion that took place. With the death of the last son of Constantine, the Empire was inherited by the talented Theodosios I.

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    .
    The Empire, upon the ascension of the new Emperor, was in an excellent position. As the dominant great power in the new world, the Elysian Empire’s rediscovery of the old world had angered many European kingdoms. It did however allow new possibilities for the Empire to achieve new heights, largely due to the success of new ideas coming over from the world

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    After decades of serving the Empire, integration began immediately on the incorporation of the Iroquois territories around the lakes to the north. After long having considered themselves as honorary Elysians, the Iroquois knew that the annexation was to take a lengthy period of time but contains a myriad of benefits. With many Elysians already living in Iroquois territory, Emperor Manuel guaranteed to the Iroquois that they will receive full citizenship upon their incorporation into the Empire and will be given unique rights due to their long friendship to the Empire.

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    In the first year of his reign, Emperor Theodosios passed an edict for settlers to focus on settling the coastal lands between the Empire and the northern frontier in Spartania. While not only giving a strip of land territory between the two nations that could allow closer ties between one another, the focus for colonisation in the area had been focused for more political reasons. With the land between Spartania and the Empire secured, it made it impossible for the European kingdoms to establish a foothold onto the continent nearby the two nations. With the Europeans forced to settle elsewhere to establish colonies of their own, the continent of Elysium proper was secured from the East. To the undiscovered west, who knew what secrets were held.

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    To the north of the Empire, the Meskwaki ‘Empire’ was already being ravaged by poor stability. From a lack of integration of its new territories, outside invasions from all side and the sudden death of the Great Chief, it was doubtful that the Meskwaki could hold onto their newfound glory for much longer.

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    Despite harboring excellent relations with the recently converted Erie, such efforts had proved futile as the Shawnee invaded in force and destroyed the tribe. With months of diplomatic ventures in the region going completely down the drain, the Emperor and the Senate were absolutely furious at the invaders. Shortly after the invasion of Erie, the Shawnee had to deal with remaining Erie forces that attempted to retake their homeland, which was unfortunately crushed.

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    It was decided that this ‘insult’ against Christianity could not be left unpunished. It was a slap on the cheek to the lord himself, and it demanded correction. With the Shawnee’s ally completely unable to provide assistance, the Empire demanded nothing more than total annihilation of the Shawnee. War was declared, and Thema stormed into the barbaroi territories.

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    Just months after the start of the war, the Shawnee surrendered. Barbaroi armies were completely wiped out, and Shawnee settlements were put to the sword. With the Erie territories liberated, christian natives reconciled with the Elysians. The Shawnee’s fate however, was incredibly grim, and in the end their independence was wiped off the map.

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    The continent of Elysium had five established Patriarchal Sees across the Empire, retaining a tradition inherited from the Old World. However, the clergy have made recent calls to include a sixth Patriarchal See as a means to not isolate those living further West. A sixth Patriarchal see had never been created before, and it was seens as a disastrous break with tradition where some clergy feared that the wrath of God upon the Empire. A consensus among the established church was in favour of expanding the Patriarchate on the continent, as it would extend the power of the Empire across the rest of the continent. More conservative and reactionary priests were notably upset about the decision and openly spoke out against such a ‘radical’ change.

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    As a semi-independent vassal kingdom of the Empire, Kykladia had seen the Empire dominate their own market. With Elysian merchants being too successful in trade, owners of the local trade node were displeased and had been attempting to expel the mainlanders in order to allow the local Kykladians to develop. The Emperor refused such claims and Elysian merchants remained in the Kykladies to reap in the lion’s share of the profits.

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    With the latest barbaroi tribe defeated and with the power of the Empire increasing, Emperor Theodosios formally revoked native privileges for all non christian natives living within the Empire largely as punishment for the revolt of the Barbaroi Councils years before. Naturally outraging the councils, native cultures started to intergrate into the Empire.

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    In the capital, a new idea had taken hold of the Emperor to build a new Hippodrone to hold chariot races just like the hippodrome of the old city. Theodosios I spoke before the senate, stating that this would stimulate and encourage the breeding of horses, fine strong steeds that are fast and can pull weight behind them.

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    As well as encouraging horse breeding for the Empire, the entertainment value of chariot racing was incredibly popular and would provide a source of revenue for the Empire. The Senate supported the idea and construction of a grand Hippodrone would take place, with a solid track with stone tribunes to show the glory of the Empire.

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    Meanwhile, the union of Poland and Lithuania had manifested itself into a new political entity. A dualistic state, the new Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was formally declared in 1525 and was ruled by a common monarch that was elected. Although it became known for its religious and political freedoms, the Commonwealth was located in a tight spot between the protestant dominated Holy Roman Empire and Muscovy to the East. It remains to be seen what the Commonwealth will accomplish.

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    To the north, Borealian identity thrived within the Empire. Being Elysians of the great inland lakes, they are primarily known as fisherman and farmers due to the huge amount of fish and agricultural land. Because of this, a large percentage of the Empire’s fish stock come from the Borealian Lake. Although the winters are tough,the Borealians remain in the north as many Elysians travel south for the winer. They are known to be a tough a resourceful people, and capable traders and sailors.

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    Since the rediscovery of Europe, the brave and adventurous from all over Europe had been making the difficult journey to the new world with fame and fortune in their eyes. Despite their interest, many European explorers avoid the Elysian Empire completely, wary of a people that they had believed perished at sea. With such a unique opportunity on the Empire’s hands, the Elysian ports had opened their doors and offering treatment. Emperor Theodosios would establish the Elysian State to experience free trade with Europe, allowing the Old World to meet with the New World

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    To the great Borealian Lakes, a new destiny awaited Elysian settlers. While originally seeing the northern regions as a place where the colonies received little help from the state, a new frontier was opened around the lakes and colonisation of the region went into full-swing. Thousands upon thousands moved towards the lakes to start new lives, and the region was encouraged for settlement which then became the number one priority of the Empire.

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    Such enthusiasm was noted by the state and the colonies seen an explosion of families, traders, farmers, blacksmiths and people of all sorts of professions traveling to the north. More people had readied their lives for a new life in a new frontier. The region suddenly grew so quickly that it had overloaded the administration of the Empire, and for the first time, the senate would allow the colonies in the region to be governed by royal charter without direct interference from the crown.

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    With the settlement of a new frontier underway, the first European ships started to appear within the waters of Elysia. One would wonder on what European explorers and colonists had done with the new knowledge that the Odyssey was a success, and now had an entire new world to explore.

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    Embracing its new roots, knowledge had come from Europe about the colonial ventures of the Europeans and how the Old World organised their exhibitions and newfound settlements. After the Great Storm, the majority of the Elysian people had no motivation to want or need to travel beyond the sight of the coast, with many settling father inland or nearby islands. But with the success of Pytheas’s voyage, it had been shown that such travels were possible if a bit difficult. The organised expansion of the Empire was completely reshaped and Colonial institutions were completely reorganised.

    As the Empire continued to grow, the grand ambitions of the Emperor and the Senate continued to dominate politics. With the estates of the Empire feeling content with the new reign, the Empire’s population now exploding due to higher numbers and the arrival of immigrants from Europe, it was set to become a time of change. And a senator with royal heritage was set to make one of the largest changes in Elysian history...