This Is Madness 2
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Imperium Sine Fine
One God. One Emperor. One World.
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Imperium Sine Fine

One God. One Emperor. One World.
From soulless Xenoi. From abhorrent Mongols. From impure Heretics.
The Angeloi Protect.
***
„He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster.
And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you.”
- Friedrich Nietzsche, Jenseits von Gut und Böse
And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you.”
- Friedrich Nietzsche, Jenseits von Gut und Böse
IN THE GRIM DARKNESS OF THE DYING CHRISTENDOM
THERE IS ONLY WAR
It is the end of the 7th millennium since the creation of the world. For more than a thousand years the Imperium Romanum has stood, ruled from the Sacred Palace in Konstantinoupolis. Since the days of Saint Markos Isapostolos the Angeloi have sat on the Throne, preserving his everlasting legacy. His descendant Markos III Angelos is Basileus Basileon by the Grace of God, Caesar Augustus of the Romaioi and all Men, Autokrator of the Holy Church and Protector of the Christendom. He is the lord of the innumerable lands by the will of Iesus Kristos and the might of his Imperial Army.
Mighty fleets cross the wide seas and uncounted Roman soldiers give battle in Emperor's name on far lands. Greatest among his warriors are the Kataphraktoi, elite heavy cavalry unmatched on the battlefield. Their comrads in arms are legion: the professional soldiers of Tagmata and brave levies and conscripts of Themata, the ever-vigilant Athanatoi and battle-hardened Auxilia from Christian Kingdoms to name only a few. But for all their multitudes, they are barely enough to defend the Imperium from endless hordes of xenoi, barbarians and heretics.
To live in these times is to be one amongst millions, it is to live in a collapsing, warring continent filled with violence and hatred. These are the tales of these times. Forget the promise of progress and understanding for much is forgotten, never to be relearned. Soulless xenoi have conquered countless lands, rivaled in size only by those controlled by the Horde and sons of Timur, bringing untold destruction upon the Christendom. In the ashes of the old world the Imperium still stands, its ever-expanding borders barely outpacing the rate of decay of its immense body. Unimaginable horrors hidden in the mists of the Far West are waiting to be discovered and unleashed upon surviving Christians.
But what lies beyond the uncharted seas may be the only salvation of the Imperium exhausted by centuries of never-ending war – or it may be its undoing. For there is no peace amongst Men nor hope for victory, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of dark gods.
***
THERE IS ONLY WAR

It is the end of the 7th millennium since the creation of the world. For more than a thousand years the Imperium Romanum has stood, ruled from the Sacred Palace in Konstantinoupolis. Since the days of Saint Markos Isapostolos the Angeloi have sat on the Throne, preserving his everlasting legacy. His descendant Markos III Angelos is Basileus Basileon by the Grace of God, Caesar Augustus of the Romaioi and all Men, Autokrator of the Holy Church and Protector of the Christendom. He is the lord of the innumerable lands by the will of Iesus Kristos and the might of his Imperial Army.
Mighty fleets cross the wide seas and uncounted Roman soldiers give battle in Emperor's name on far lands. Greatest among his warriors are the Kataphraktoi, elite heavy cavalry unmatched on the battlefield. Their comrads in arms are legion: the professional soldiers of Tagmata and brave levies and conscripts of Themata, the ever-vigilant Athanatoi and battle-hardened Auxilia from Christian Kingdoms to name only a few. But for all their multitudes, they are barely enough to defend the Imperium from endless hordes of xenoi, barbarians and heretics.
To live in these times is to be one amongst millions, it is to live in a collapsing, warring continent filled with violence and hatred. These are the tales of these times. Forget the promise of progress and understanding for much is forgotten, never to be relearned. Soulless xenoi have conquered countless lands, rivaled in size only by those controlled by the Horde and sons of Timur, bringing untold destruction upon the Christendom. In the ashes of the old world the Imperium still stands, its ever-expanding borders barely outpacing the rate of decay of its immense body. Unimaginable horrors hidden in the mists of the Far West are waiting to be discovered and unleashed upon surviving Christians.
But what lies beyond the uncharted seas may be the only salvation of the Imperium exhausted by centuries of never-ending war – or it may be its undoing. For there is no peace amongst Men nor hope for victory, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of dark gods.
***
Interactive AAR approved by Qorten
I. INTRODUCTION
Hello everyone,
Welcome to „This Is Madness 2: Imperium Sine Fine”, the second part of my mega campaign!
The story which began in „Crusader Kings II” After Action Report This Is Madness - Story Of The Crumbling Europe is continued here .
However this time it's also an Interactive AAR, which means you, dear Reader, can influence the story. You can join at any time! Just make sure to read the Rules which you can find below.
BASIC INFORMATION
1. I'm not a native speaker – if I make mistakes (and I do), please tell me so that I can correct them and learn something.
2. This is a second part of my mega campaign – you can find the first one here.
3. This is a gameplay/narrative fully interactive AAR.
4. I'm planning to export this to „Victoria 2”
5. I'll be using four mods: Purple Phoenix Arises by dorimi (gameplay changes), Feudal Factions by Alex (gameplay changes), Tooltip Font Mod (UI changes) and Thick Borders (UI changes).
6. You may join the interactive part of this AAR at any time.
7. If you break forum rules or rules of this AAR I will notify the moderators.
8. Game settings: Hard AI Difficulty, Random Lucky Nations, no savescumming, no cheats – unless they help the AI.
9. Game version at start: 1.8 („Art of War” release patch).
10. I always respond to your comments.
2. This is a second part of my mega campaign – you can find the first one here.
3. This is a gameplay/narrative fully interactive AAR.
4. I'm planning to export this to „Victoria 2”
5. I'll be using four mods: Purple Phoenix Arises by dorimi (gameplay changes), Feudal Factions by Alex (gameplay changes), Tooltip Font Mod (UI changes) and Thick Borders (UI changes).
6. You may join the interactive part of this AAR at any time.
7. If you break forum rules or rules of this AAR I will notify the moderators.
8. Game settings: Hard AI Difficulty, Random Lucky Nations, no savescumming, no cheats – unless they help the AI.
9. Game version at start: 1.8 („Art of War” release patch).
10. I always respond to your comments.
GENERAL RULES
1. Golden rule – civility
Whatever happens in the Senate, stays in the Senate. Your characters may argue, conspire against each other or even be executed but you HAVE TO refrain from personal attacks. „This Is Madness 2” is set in a brutal and unforgiving pre-modern world and will include topics which are very emotional in the real world like: racial inequality, gender inequality, war, disease, murder, religious violence, intolerance, infanticide, genocide, colonization, imperialism, exploitation, slavery and many others.
That's why debating this issues you have to remember that you are just playing a character. We are not discussing the aforementioned topics „for real”, so don't try to derail the thread by talking about the real world issues. We're here to have fun together, so cool down and let everyone enjoy this AAR. I like writing this story so I won't hesitate to notify the mods if you can't calm down on your own.
2. Respect forum rules!
Just a quick reminder: no trolling, no spamming, no external links, no forbidden or illegal stuff
3. In-character and out-of-character
While writing as your character (during the Senate Session) you HAVE TO write in italic: example. Everything not written in italic is considered being said out-of-character with all the consequences.
When speaking out-of-character during the Senate Session you HAVE TO use double braces: {{example}}
Stick to thes rules – when you don't keep in mind difference between your character and you, things tend to get ugly. Arguing with other out-of-character and harassing people means that I will notify the moderators.
4. Writing in-character when there is no Senate Session being held is forbidden.
Seriously – I'll notify the mods if you do so. Posting your comments kept in spirit of the story is allowed however, as long as they are your comments and not your character's.
5. Voting or debating during Senate Session outside of this thread is forbidden.
This includes PM, e-mails and so on – all your interaction with the story and other participants is limited to this thread.
6. I reserve the right to change any and all rules at a moment's notice.
Rules aren't set in the stone – if something won't work as intended, I'll make necessary corrections. They may also be changed accordingly to how the game or the story develops
Whatever happens in the Senate, stays in the Senate. Your characters may argue, conspire against each other or even be executed but you HAVE TO refrain from personal attacks. „This Is Madness 2” is set in a brutal and unforgiving pre-modern world and will include topics which are very emotional in the real world like: racial inequality, gender inequality, war, disease, murder, religious violence, intolerance, infanticide, genocide, colonization, imperialism, exploitation, slavery and many others.
That's why debating this issues you have to remember that you are just playing a character. We are not discussing the aforementioned topics „for real”, so don't try to derail the thread by talking about the real world issues. We're here to have fun together, so cool down and let everyone enjoy this AAR. I like writing this story so I won't hesitate to notify the mods if you can't calm down on your own.
2. Respect forum rules!
Just a quick reminder: no trolling, no spamming, no external links, no forbidden or illegal stuff
3. In-character and out-of-character
While writing as your character (during the Senate Session) you HAVE TO write in italic: example. Everything not written in italic is considered being said out-of-character with all the consequences.
When speaking out-of-character during the Senate Session you HAVE TO use double braces: {{example}}
Stick to thes rules – when you don't keep in mind difference between your character and you, things tend to get ugly. Arguing with other out-of-character and harassing people means that I will notify the moderators.
4. Writing in-character when there is no Senate Session being held is forbidden.
Seriously – I'll notify the mods if you do so. Posting your comments kept in spirit of the story is allowed however, as long as they are your comments and not your character's.
5. Voting or debating during Senate Session outside of this thread is forbidden.
This includes PM, e-mails and so on – all your interaction with the story and other participants is limited to this thread.
6. I reserve the right to change any and all rules at a moment's notice.
Rules aren't set in the stone – if something won't work as intended, I'll make necessary corrections. They may also be changed accordingly to how the game or the story develops
***
I hope you'll enjoy the story.
CzokletMuss
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