The End of Eternity (Turns)

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This page contains every turn made so far for The End of Eternity.

Turn I: 470 to 471 AD

Ancient Greek war music - Winds of Ithaca

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Political map of Turn I

Map of Britain during Turn I

Post link: https://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1530283&p=50873438&viewfull=1#post50873438

Subtitle - IN FINEM

Mallow234 - Malvan's Roman Empire
Leader: Marcus Flavius Marius Malvanus (Emperor Malvan)
Capital: Capua
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Roman

-In a mysterious bout of plague, Emperor Julius Nepos passes away in January of 470AD. He is succeeded by Marcus Flavius Marius Malvanus, who is promptly crowned Augustus.
-With the Roman state weak and poor, Emperor Malvan fears that the empire will be overwhelmed and overrun - in a last ditch attempt to save the empire, Malvan orders the complete dissolution of the provinces and the consolidation to just Italia. The provinces split along the lines of the civitas and become independent kingdoms ruled by their current governors or any general who can march on the capital fast enough. Control of Gaul is given to the Magister militum per Gallias (although this is only in theory,) while Belgica and Germania Inferior are awarded to the independent Franks on the condition that they stem the tide of tribes crossing the Rhine and convert to Christianity. In the Roman public sphere, especially among aristocrats of Rome proper, this move is regarded with scorn, distaste and fear, with many believing the end is now within reach - the remaining urban aristocracy begins fleeing the cities and retreating to their rural villas.
-To couple the consolidation of the Western Empire's territories, Malvan orders the discharge of all of the Roman army's foederati troops - allied levies taken from allied Germanic tribes. Malvan then orders his remaining officers and generals to consolidate in Italy, drawing Italian troops to fight in a new, restructured Roman army. Unfortunately, numbers fall short as nary an Italian is willing to fight for Malvan's dying empire. Citizens of the Italian province begin to barricade themselves in their homes and bar the gates of their cities.
-The Foederati troops, who previously made up an overwhelming majority of the Roman army, are furious at their discharge and begin to demand backpay and compensation for their services. While most cut their losses and go on to sack or demand backpay from the independent kingdoms, the Italian garrison is especially furious. Marching on the camp of the army officer Odoacer, they give him the choice of either leading them to the capital and becoming the emperor, or death. Odoacer chooses the former, marching his army for Ravenna and taking the city without much of a fight. The Emperor Malvan and his entourage escape to Rome, which is made the new capital of the Western Empire. By mid-year, Odoacer marches for Rome at the head of almost three quarters of Italia's soldiers.
-Most could not fathom how things could get any worse than they already were until an absolutely massive Ostrogoth-Gepid army came pouring South into Italia. The Emperor Malvan and his administration made preparations to flee the city... [continued in the turn for the Gepids]

Native Hunter - Eastern Roman Empire
Leader: Flavius Valerius Leo Augustus (Emperor Leo I)
Capital: Constantinople
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Greco-Roman

-In a paranoia-driven consolidation of power, Emperor Leo sends Basiliscus, brother to the Empress, to exile in Crimea. Fearing the worst if he stays, Basiliscus obliges and leaves the Empire for good.
-Representatives of the Roman and Sassanian empires meet mid-year and agree to a cease of hostilities. In exchange, the Romans agree to pay the Sassanians a yearly tribute of ten million brass coins a year. Many back West grumble at this show of Imperial weakness, but those in the East are happy to see some lapse in the fighting.
-To better organize a defense of the Empire's vulnerable cities, the Emperor orders the organization of municipal militias trained by retired veterans of the mobile field armies. These militiae are to serve as a way to bolster the mobile field armies of the Empire without the need for shifting around professional soldiers from vulnerable conflict zones or paying for the creation of new expensive professional legions.
-A series of static fortifications begins construction all along the Eastern Front with the Sassanian Empire as well as along the Empire's northern border along the Danube. The Danube fortifications are to span from the black sea all the way to the Illyrian border.
-In a show of his good Christian nature, the Emperor codifies into law an unprecedented act of toleration for people of other religions - Pagans, Zoroastrians, and all the like are given equal protections as Christians under the law. This is coupled with the Emperor's call for barbarian tribes wishing to settle in Byzantine lands to be accepted with open arms and dispersed among the population. This set of moves sparks an outrage in Constantinople, especially in the conservative Senate and Christian aristocracy, but there is little they can actually do about it and so their opposition falls to the wayside. In the East, these changes are applauded by some and noted with indifference by others. The Sassanians especially note this change in Roman policy.
-This codification of Imperial policy shows more than just official pluralism - the Emperor intends to completely reorganize the way Roman law works - he begins the massive undertaking of collecting all the unwritten and scattered pieces of the Empire's civil law and codifying them into a single entity - the Corpus Juris Civilis.
-Hoping to unite the scattered elements of Christianity in the Empire, Leo calls for the Nicene and Eastern churches to meet at Chonai in Anatolia. The Emperor oversees some compromises and good progress between the two sides of Christianity, but the council ultimately concludes with many disagreements outstanding.
-With the confirmation of the Senate and the permission of the Emperor, Theoderic, King of the Ostrogoths is granted the title of Augustus and elevated to the highest seat in the West - the Emperor of the Western Empire.

Damian0358 - The Dobunni
Leader: Caleddin Glevicus, Dux Britanniae, Magister Militum per Britannicum (Duke Glevicus)
Capital: Corinium Dobunnorum
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Romano-British

-With the Romans long-gone and the threat of Germanic invasions in the forefront, Caer Gloui, now calling itself the Dobunni, erects a standing volunteer army reflective of their Roman and native origins. In honor of an age long-past and the hope for renewing that age, the Dobunni dub their army Legio II Britannica, and their leader declares himself to be the Dux and Magister Militum of the long-gone diocese. The Dobunnian Legion then sallies forth and captures several nearby forts and establishes them as their base of operations with Colonia Glevum serving as the primary operating base of the legion. They do their best to fortify the decaying fortifications and start to regularly drill there, on the watch for the Germanic enemy.
-To supply their new legionaries, the Dobunni begin to produce a large array of British and Roman-styled weaponry and storing them in armories.
-The Dobunni send emissaries to neighboring Romano-British settlements, asking them to band up to defend against the incoming Germanic invaders. While most are too weak and decayed to even send an emissary back, the Briton settlement of Londinium agrees to form a coalition with the Dobunni. The leaders of Londinium gather up a small, meager militia and send them off to scout the main road connecting Londinium and Corinium Dobunnorum. Soon enough, supplies and small co-op scout parties begin to flow back and forth between the two settlements.
-Hoping to increase their manpower, the Dobunni send emissaries across the channel to beg the Romano-Britons in Gaul to come back. In the coming months, the Dobunni begin to see slivers of boats arriving at their shores, and the new arrivals are accepted with open arms. The returning Britons do not number in any large sum, but with the barbarians pouring in from the South and East, every man helps.
-The return of Britons from Roman lands not only helps bolster Legio II Britannica, but skilled artisans and craftsmen also make a return to Roman Britain. Of the crafts that are brought back from extinction is Roman masonry techniques, and the Dobunni waste no time making use of these rediscovered techniques.

Griffster26 - Kingdom of Francia
Leader: Childericus Rex (King Childeric)
Capital: Durocortorum
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Frankish

-Childeric of the Salian Franks signs a pact with the Emperor Malvan - in exchange for Belgica and Germania Inferior, Childeric will brace his tribe against other tribes attempting to cross the Rhine into Roman territory and convert to Christianity. Now holding territories to administrate, the Salians begin adapting their language to the Latin alphabet, enlisting local Latin-speakers to help them.
-The Salians continue the year with a major effort to unite the Frankish peoples under a single banner. With potential enemies on both sides and tempting offers of Roman land, most of the Frankish tribes are united under the new Frankian banner by the end of the year. Childeric is crowned Childericus Rex - King of the Franks in a new united Merovingian kingdom. He establishes Durocortorum in modern-day Reims as his center of administration, moving away from Tornacum.
-With everything coming together, a system of taxes is established for landowners residing in the kingdom. These taxes are then used to establish a network of standing town militias which serve as a police force and deterrent against raids. With his lands stabilized, Childeric directs the remaining funds from levied taxes to be put into a schooling system. Small schools begin to pop up in settlements across the kingdom - a sign that the Franks are not simply marauding the Roman lands - they are here to stay.
-Now in a position of great power, King Childeric extends an offer of protection to the Frisians in exchange for tribute and allied levy. They scoff at Childeric's shallow attempt to extend his influence over them and his emissary is sent back empty-handed.

Broguts - The Saxons
Leader: Various
Capital: Various
Primary Religion: Germanic Paganism
Culture: Germanic Saxon

-The peoples of the Saxons undergo a major unification as they prepare to come pouring south through the alps. By the end of the year, the Saxons manage to muster a unified force twenty-three thousand men, not including a contingent of five thousand Frisian allied troops.
-Fearing they are not yet ready to face professional soldiers, the Saxons look to their old Roman neighbors for inspiration on how to improve the capabilities of their army. The new warband begins to undergo an impromptu tactical revision, with focus on formation fighting and organized maneuvers.
-But with all the revision and mustering of extra manpower, the Saxons must still get the favor of the Gods if they are to truly triumph in battle. Sacrifices, ceremonies, rituals, and readings all increase exponentially as the Saxons vie for the Gods' go-ahead in their coming conquest.

Pezgod1 - Kingdom of the Gepids
Leader: King Gunderit
Capital: None
Primary Religion: Arian Christianity
Culture: East Germanic

-With the blessing of Emperor Leo, the Gepids lead most of their army down to Illyria.
-Raiding and pillaging everything in their path, the Gepids make their way up the Adriatic and link up with the army of Theoderic, King of the Goths. From their staging point at the base of the alps, The Gepids and Ostrogoths launch a joint invasion of the Italian peninsula.
-Spearheading the invasion, the Gepids go city to city sacking each population center and then moving on. Odoacer and his army of Foederati are only ten miles from Rome when the Gepid army smashes into their lines head-on with unbridled fury. The matchup is about even until the Ostrogothic army headed by King Theoderic appears on the horizon, leading a large contingent of Gothic cavalry into the back of Odoacer's lines. The flanking move sparks a full out panic and Odoacer's army is slaughtered to a man.
-The Gepids and Ostrogoths make camp outside of Rome and make preparations to besiege the city. On the first morning of December 470AD, the Gepid army awakes to the sight of the Roman army sallied in the field, waiting for them. The sight is pitiful, but at the same time troubling - a large swathe of poorly-armed citizen militias headed by a legion of Eastern Comitatenses and their contingent of heavily armored equites cataphractarii. The Ostrogoths are nowhere to be seen.
-The Gepid army quickly forms up and begins to advance, and the already-formed Roman army charges with half-hearted fervor. The Kataphractoi of the Roman force slam furiously into the center of the Gepid army, throwing men everywhere and splitting the army in half. A sense of panic enters the Gepid lines but the tides slowly start to turn back to the Gepids, who begin dispath the poorly-trained Italian levies and fall in on and surround the Kataphractoi.
-The men of the Kataphractoi begin to see death as a real possibility now - the Gepids fall in on them from all sides and their line will only remain split so long as the thinly stretched lines of the Italian levies are holding - some have already begun to rout, however.
-The first slews of men begin to peek over the hills - a few bands, and then the horses. The dust begins to kick up. The Ostrogoths are here. The Gepid men at the rear see this and breathe a sigh of relief: victory was now a certainty.
-The first ranks of the Gothic infantry slammed hard and fast into the Gepid rear. The deafening roar of their battle cries drowned out the screams and agony of the Gepids as blades slid into their backs and the lances of the Kataphractoi pierced their hearts.
-What was left of the Gepid army was spared but forced to pass under the yoke by the Romans. Defeated. Humiliated. The Gepid army was pushed into the alps and left to die. What came out the other side was ever more pitiful than what had gone in. Hearing news of the treacherous defeat, the those back home packed up and left to regroup with the defeated army. The Gepids were moving house.

EuSKalduna - Kingdom of the Vandals
Leader: Geisericus Rex (King Genseric)
Capital: Carthago
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: East Germanic

-With the raiding season in high gear, the Vandals drop raiding against the Eastern Roman Empire in favor of attempting to rein in the Berbers and Moors in the West. Extensive raiding is also conductive on the coasts of the Italian peninsula, securing decent sums of coin and valuables for the Vandals to fund their state with.
-The Vandals begin to commission the construction of churches across the kingdom in order to legitimize themselves as the successors of Roman Africa, moving away from their Arianic views. These new church projects come with the express blessing of the Byzantine Emperor, who lauds his new African ally as a bunch of good ol' Christian boys.
-To aid in the running of their administration, the Vandals establish a codified system of weights and scales. This system is widely distributed and soon begins to overtake more ad-hoc methods that have been in use so far.
-With Roman grip on its Mediterranean territories weakened to a virtual nil, the Vandals step in to take control. By mid-year, control of Sicily and Magna Graecia as well as the Balearic islands is completely solidified.
-Beach landings are now conducted with specialized longboats which deploy from a larger ship to transport personnel to shore. With these longboats, the Vandals need not risk their precious warships while attempting to conduct an invasion from shore.
-To secure their grip on the heartland, the Vandals set up garrisoned outposts along more vulnerable roads, encouraging travel and trade along them. Each of these new outposts also has a rest-stop for messengers and couriers, allowing letters send from one end of the Kingdom to reach the other quickly and efficiently.

Zillamaster55 - The Berbers
Leader: King Sila
Capital: Various
Primary Religion: African Paganism
Culture: Berber

-United under King Sila of the Western Berbers, the Berber tribes of Mauretania begin to expand towards the North-West at the tail of a strong raiding campaign led by tribal warrior nobility. By the end of the year, the Berbers have expanded all the way to Gibraltar, only stopped by the sturdy walls of Tingis.
-Raiding parties go far and wide in search of plunder, eventually running into Vandal guard posts at the edge of the Western Vandal border. This far-reaching push is facilitated by intensive breeding of mobile food sources such as goats, horses, and hogs. Berber raiding parties and Vandal border guards see minor clashes all through the year.
-With the push North-West, the Berbers begin to clash more and more often with tribes inhabiting the coastal and mountain regions of Mauretania. These tribes are eventually conquered and put under the yoke of the Berbers. Most of these newly conquered peoples are allowed to continue practicing their religion and customs, but a conscious effort is made to assimilate them.
-With the tribes growing exponentially due to the new expansions, King Sila begins to reorganize the tribes as to dissuade blood ties. He hopes to eventually fully unify his peoples into a single tribal identity, and this is a first step into the right direction.

Turn II: 471 to 472 AD

300 Rise Of An Empire - Fog Battle - Soundtrack Score

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Political map of Turn II

Map of Britain during Turn II

Post link: https://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1530283&p=50892800&viewfull=1#post50892800

Subtitle - NOVUM POPULUM

Broguts - The Saxons
Leader: Various
Capital: Various
Primary Religion: Germanic Paganism
Culture: Germanic Saxon

-With the new year well on its way, the Saxons find themselves unified under a single banner and purpose, with an army that would make a dwarf of any before it. They begin their march south with fierce determination - no matter who sits on the throne, Rome will burn. Her armies will be made bones, to be scattered across the fields of Italia. Her luscious farmlands will be salted and burned, never to grow anything again. Her cities will become ash in the wind, returning to the hills and plains from which they sprouted. Her people will be made slaves - men, women, children, elderly and all. Rome will burn.
-The Saxones of Germania come pouring in through the alps, devouring the unprepared cities of Gallia Cisalpina. The Saxon army rolls through Northern Italia virtually unchallenged, sacking and burning everything in their path. Having not even recovered from the previous year's conflicts, the North is made a lifeless wasteland, its urban centers reintroduced to the earth. Dead. Gone.
-It is only when the Saxones continue further South that they are met by the great Ostrogothic legions, led by Emperor Theoderic the Great himself. The Saxones are a brave and hardy bunch, but even the mere mention of Theoderic's presence on the battlefield sparks weariness and talk among the ranks. It has long been known that emperors of Rome are divine beings sent from heaven - who are they to try and beat a god in battle?
-Still, the bravest among them challenge the fears of their comrades. A god, you say? Then let them sing their praises when word reaches that the proud Saxones have slain a god.
-On the next day, the two armies meet in the field. The Saxones, never a shy bunch, make the first charge with archers in reserve. The two main bodies of infantry smack into each other. The roars and shouts of the men are joined by the clanging of steel and the whistling of arrows flying overhead. Utter chaos.
-The odds remain even, each side slowly withering the other down. Deaths remain low, but the soldiers are growing tired.
-In a critical moment, the weaker cavalry of the Saxones is routed by the fierce Eastern cavalry of the Ostrogoths. The Ostrogoth cavalry form a charging wedge and piercing into the right flank of the Saxon infantry line. Soon, the Saxon right flank collapses and Ostrogothic legionaries begin to swing around the back and hammer the anvil. The Saxones are being surrounded.
-Retreat! The Saxon general is not a coward, but he isn't a fool either. The horns of retreat are sounded and the Saxon infantry pulls back with some casualties to boot. The Ostrogothic cavalry gives chase to mow them down, but the regrouped Saxon cavalry intercepts and covers the infantry retreat. The furious second wind of the Saxons' cavalry joined by the incessant rain of arrows coming down from the reserves forces the Gothic heavy cavalry to pull back. The full force of the Saxons secures retreat and regroups at their fortified camp. The Goths have the day, but it is by no means the last battle. Rome will yet fall.

Mallow234 - The Praetorship of Capua
Leader: Marcus Flavius Marius Malvanus (Praetor Malvan)
Capital: Capua
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Roman

-The Emperor Theoderic is assassinated after barely a few months of reign, stabbed to death in his tent by infiltrators from the kataphractoi units. The Romans attempt to put the blame squarely on his lieutenants but this effort fails and the Goths scramble to find an heir. One of Theoderic's daughters quickly takes the vacant spot, although only in an unofficial capacity. Theoderic's lieutenants then jointly declare war on Malvan and begin to gather and organize for an assault. The Ostrogoths have been stalled for now.
-With the Emperor officially deposed and Malvan's administration surrounded on both sides in Capua, Malvan makes his last order as Dominus and creates the Praetorship of Capua. He assigns himself Praetor of the municipality and begins levying a large amount of militia troops from the surrounding area. The assisting Eastern comitatenses and kataphractoi scramble to train these new levies and only manage to get about a quarter of them trained by the time a Vandal makes camp ten miles out from Capua.
-The Capuans launch a pre-emptive strike against the Vandals and force them to retreat back to their safe lines thirty miles from Capua, but at a large cost. The brave and fierce Vandal armies put up a stiff defense at their camp and manage to slaughter almost a third of the Capuan levies before a flanking assault by the First Legion Kataphractoi prompted their retreat.
-Sifting through the captured camp, the Capuans manage to gather up a decent amount of high-quality weapons, shields, and armor left behind by the retreating Vandal soldiers. Their weapons are spread through the ranks of the remaining levy soldiers.

EuSKalduna - Kingdom of the Vandals
Leader: Geisericus Rex (King Genseric)
Capital: Carthago
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: East Germanic

-Leading a great fleet across the Mare Mediterraneum, the Vandals launch a massive naval assault on the Roman city of Carthago Nova. The increasingly whittled garrison of the city is easily defeated by the Vandals and the city is completely occupied by mid-year. As soon as the city is fully secured, repairs begin on the fortifications and then the Vandals begin to build up the city's defenses a notch more. By the end of the year, Carthago Nova becomes a virtual fortress immune to siege, compared to the like of the great Constantinople.
-Mare Mediterraneum's Western reaches are opened up to trade ships from the East, and trade soon begins to flow into previously still waters. The Vandals laugh all the way to the bank as they make a king's ransom out of tariffs imposed on the Easterners.
-To accommodate increased trade, the Vandals begin to expand Carthago's ports and harbors to hold more ships. In addition, the drydocks see a significant expansion which allows the Vandals to build and repair more of their ever-so important warships.
-A small monastery is built on a hill by the harbor, and an order of monks is sent out to the docks to borrow books from travelers. Scrolls, books, writings, and any other sort of written knowledge is acquired and carefully copied. The originals are then returned to the owner and they are paid a fee. This effort to assimilate foreign knowledge leads to the discovery of old forgotten shipbuilding techniques used by the Carthaginians. The Vandals look deep into these scrolls and begin to put them to use. Docked and returning warships are upgraded according to the manuals and new ships are built to specification.
-A large shipment of Anatolian timber is received from the Eastern Roman Empire, which is quickly put towards construction of new warships. In exchange, a contingent of three thousand Vandal warriors are shipped off to Constantinople to be used as allied troops by the Romans.
-A series of naval raids begins against the Berber tribes to the West. Mercenary fleets trying to cross the straight of Gibraltar are harassed constantly by Vandal warships. Raid fleets soon start returning with decent runs of treasure, loot, and slaves.

Griffster26 - Kingdom of Francia
Leader: Childericus Rex (King Childeric)
Capital: Durocortorum
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Frankish

-Trade is opened up with the Romano-British League, and traders from the kingdom begin to make their way across the English channel, setting up markets in Londinium and surrounding towns.
-As taxes continue to flow in from various parts of the kingdom, Childeric decides that it's time to use this money for the benefit of the Kingdom's security. With his newfound wealth, he restructures the Frankish military and forms a standing army modeled after the Roman legions of old. Existing elements of the Frankish levies and their allies are put under the banner of the professional military.
-Not keen on being humiliated by the Frisians, Childeric then takes his new army and launches a full-scale invasion of Frisia. He calls on the Alemanni to the South to join him, promising grants of land and titles. Eager to attain their own imperium, the Alemanni combine with the Merovingian legions to form a huge, formidable force. With many of the Frisian men and their Saxon allies off to war in Italia, the Frankish army quickly and decisively overwhelms the Frisian levies with support of the Swabian allied troops. Frisia at large is put under the yoke of King Childeric's Merovingian dynasty, and hopes of Frisian independence are completely wiped clean.
-The Franks quickly get to work assimilating the fuming Frisians. Non-Christian vassals of the Merovingians are promised land grants if they convert, and Christians under the kingdom are offered doubly so if they spread the word of god to the Pagan lands.
-Monks in the capital have been collecting copies of Greek and Roman scripture in hopes of developing a system of writing for the Kingdom, and they finally come to finalize a system using the Latin alphabet of the Romans. This new system is quickly picked up by the Kingdom's administration, who pass it down to the schools.
-The amalgamation of scriptures collected by the Priests also leads to the discovery of basic mathematics, which are quickly passed on to the King's administration and the schools.
-The implementation of a schooling system sees a gradual upward trend in the literacy of peasants across the Kingdom. King Childeric himself was pleasantly surprised when he began to receive written letters from the peasantry living in the capital - a sign of things to come.

Native Hunter - Eastern Roman Empire
Leader: Flavius Valerius Leo Augustus (Emperor Leo I)
Capital: Constantinople
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Greco-Roman

-A small expedition is dispatched toward the Crimean Peninsula. They make a landing and retake the outpost of Chersonesus. A trading post is constructed there and the Romans begin to engage in trade with local tribes residing on the peninsula. However, the Romans face frequent raids and their forces soon begin to dwindle.
-The number strength of the legions is reorganized, with five legions now conglomerating to form a single five thousand man legion, as in the days of Trajan.
-Work continues on the fortifications on the Eastern border with the Sassanians. However, work is slow and inconsistent as the legions are forced to contract local builders to help assemble the walls and forts. By the end of the year, half-finished forts and frameworks of forts begin to crowd the Romano-Sassanid border.
-The emperor begins to funnel money into the construction of municipal water wheels. Soon enough, water wheels begin to pop up in the areas closest to Constantinople, and many people who would normally be occupied with grinding wheat are now free to do other things for the empire. In the eyes of Leo I, this means they are free to grab a sword and head for the border garrisons.
-Continuing to stretch the limits of the imperial treasury, the emperor encourages and subsidizes the construction and expansion of libraries in major settlements such as Constantinople, Nicomedia, and Antioch. Many of these new libraries undergo major efforts to stock their shelves with scripture, and they become an outlet for budding intellectuals to practice the sciences and arts and conglomerate their writings.
-The greatest of all these libraries is constructed out of the Monastery of Stoudios in Constantinople. With hopes to surpass even the long-gone Library of Alexandria, the emperor orders that anything in the empire that is written down be copied and stored in his new library.
-The emperor begins importing cedar saplings from Lebanon and has them strewn across the Southern coasts of Anatolia. Come time, these will grow into forests and provide the empire with precious timber - something Anatolia is already famous for.
-The empire begins selling discounted Anatolian timber to the Vandals. In exchange, a contingent of three thousand Vandal warriors is shipped from the shores of Carthago to Constantinople. They are quickly dispersed among camps across the empire and trained to join the ranks of the Legio Comitatenses, the professional foot-soldiers of Rome's mobile field armies.
-In the East, the emperor forges a pact with the Kingdom of Aksum in order to secure trade routes from India. With help from a now thin-stretched Roman treasury, the Aksumites build a sizable fleet and consolidate power in Middle Arabia, thus securing and growing the spice routes running from India to Arabia.

Pezgod1 - Kingdom of Hestia
Leader: King Gunderit
Capital: Haimothli
Primary Religion: Arian Christianity
Culture: East Germanic

-Humilitated and weakened after their defeat at Latinum, the Gepids pack up and venture far to the North. They launch a massive raid into Pomerania, subjugating the Varni tribe.
-Promptly, they pull out of Pomerania and assault the Baltics, bringing the Varni with them. The Baltic peoples are completely unprepared for this huge surge of experienced, fierce Germanic troops and are quickly put under the yoke of King Gunderit.
-Gunderit is crowned "King of the Hestians" and makes his administrative capital at the river-settlement of Haimothli in modern-day Jurbarkas, Lithuania. He declares the East Gothic language of the Gepids to be the lingua franca of the Kingdom, and a considerable effort is made to teach the subjugated tribes their new official language. Still, they are allowed to speak their native language and for the most part things continue this way as the native languages of the Balts and Warni begin to find their way into the administrative papers of the Gepids.
-The Goths begin to disperse all over the Baltics, forming new colonial settlements and bringing in slaves and subjugated peoples as well. Notable of these settlements is that they are planned in similar style to Roman settlements, with schematics for sewage systems seeing implementation in the major centers.
-Tribes neighboring the Hestian kingdom are offered to join (under duress) but very politely decline as they see the Hestian emissaries escorted out by angry mobs.
-In response, the Hestians quickly launch a series of raids on the belligerent tribes. They quickly conquer a decent swathe of territory but begin to face stiff resistance after pushing deeper into tribal territory. Bloodied and taking losses, the Hestian troops retreat back to the safety of their camps.

Zillamaster55 - The Berbers
Leader: King Sila
Capital: Various
Primary Religion: Gurzilism
Culture: Berber

-Increasingly unified, the Berbers continue their Northward expansion deep into Roman Iberia. Tingis falls after a long siege, and then Gibraltar itself. The Berbers quickly flood into Spain virtually unchallenged. The Berbers begin to establish permanent agricultural and fishing settlements in Southern Iberia - a clear sign of their intentions. Forward raid parties go long past the established strongholds of the Berbers and take slaves and loot for the warriors back home.
-The effect of Vandal monotheism on the Berbers begins to rear its head, with the King Sila subscribing to monotheistic worship of the Berber god Gurzil. He implores all of his Pagan fellows to convert, with many obliging him. This potent religious movement soon begins to take root in Southern Iberia as well as Mauretania, spearheaded by an order of priests commissioned by the king himself.
-Another effect of Vandal cultural influence on the Berbers is the introduction of a writing system among the Berber nobility. In order to effectively communicate across their new-found kingdom, the Berbers adapt the Latin alphabet to their own language and quickly make use of their new-found ability to immortalize their words. Historians begin popping up and priests begin chronicling every new conquest and every old myth of the Berber culture.

Damian0358 - The Romano-British League
Main Leader: Caleddin Glevicus, Dux Britanniae, Magister Militum per Britannicum (Duke Glevicus)
Capital: Corinium Dobunnorum, Londinium, Isca Dumnoniorum, Durnonovaria, Venta Belgarum, Verulamium, Calleva Atrebatum
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Romano-British

-While preparations and training for the incoming invasion continue, Corinium Dobunnorum and Londinium continue to petition other major settlements to join in their new "Romano-British League."
-To the surprise of both cities, almost every settlement they ask gladly joins. Withered and weak while alone, they stand to gain much by joining forces with other Romano-British settlements. Roman Britain yet lives. Of the notable new members of the coalition are Isca Dumnoniorum, Durnonovaria, Venta Belgarum, Verulamium, and Calleva Atrebatum. Each allied settlement brings their own group of minor settlements and militias into the League, bolstering its territorial extent and manpower considerably. Each of the main settlements of the League are legally incorporated as capitals.
-With the lands inbetween the League's main cities now under solid control of the League, coastal ports are re-opened and trade begins with the Diocese of Gaul, now known as the Kingdom of Soissons. Supplies including grain, and important weapon metals begin to flow into Britain.
-With the movement of supplies into Britain also comes the movement of lost Roman knowledge. Artisans, engineers, traders and priests from Soissons making permanent shop in Corinium Dobunnorum find that their skills and scrolls are not only welcome in the League, but desperately needed. Some of these priests and skilled people find their way into the administration of the Dobunni - with them they bring Roman military techniques and knowledge on maintaining and building Roman infrastructure such as sewers, aqueducts, and arenas.
-The continued drilling as well as the flow of new recruits boosting its size has solidified Legio II Britannica as the presumed winner of the "best army in Britannia" contest. In recent months, the legion has gained a fearsome reputation among some Anglo-Saxon raiding parties, though this reputation is mostly credited to rumors that the men of Legio II Britannica are re-risen immortal undead warriors from the actual Legio II Augusta. Their reputation as an actual fighting force is so-far nil as they have yet to be tested in battle, but from what the Magister Militum has seen in his visits to Glevum, he has high hopes they will live up to their name.
-Satisfied with the state of the legion, the Magister Militum orders that the legion send its best officers off to Londinium to bring their militia men up to speed. These efforts are three-fold, with both trainers and quality swords and breast-plates from the legionary armories soon shipped off in carts towards Londinium. Building and relief supplies are also sent with builders to assist repairing the decaying infrastructure of Londinium. Through the year, training of the Londinian militia is conducted using the same strategies and drills taught to the great legion herself. Soon enough, the Londinian militias have enough well-trained heavy infantry that the Magister Militum commissions a new legion under command of the Londinian duchy: Legio vigesima Valeria Victrix. Soon enough, the other members of the League begin petitioning for their own turns at the Dobunni officers. The Magister Militum and the new Londinian officers happily oblige, and the training of additional militiamen is well underway by the end of the year. At an opportune time as well - the Anglo-Saxons have already come knocking at the gates the League. The Romano-Briton allies will need all men they can muster.
-Reparation and upgrading of the various forts of the legion also continues without issue. While far from formidable, the various broken down forts of Western Britannia are slowly coming back to life, and the locals have more than taken notice of this change. Banditry and crime in the areas garrisoned by Dobunni soldiers hits an all-time low as criminals feel the grip of law and order tighten around them. Soldiers begin regularly patrolling the roads, making repairs and keeping a watchful eye over vulnerable merchant wagons.

Shisno - The Gaelic Confederation
Leader: King Sheasnec
Capital: Duiblinn
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Gaelic

-The year begins with talk among the tribes of Ireland: A great menace closes in from the East. Bad enough that the Pict raiders of the highlands kept their ambitions to a standstill, but now the Anglo-Saxon hordes threatened to devour all of Britain. King Sheasnec of the Eblani tribe had great ambitions for his people, and he decided to take advantage of this foul breeze in the wind. He called a council of the Gaelic chieftains. He gave them this offer: join with the Eblani in a confederation and we will storm the Britains. Our numbers and combined strength will overwhelm the foul Picts and we will conquer all of Scotland. Then, we will drive back the Anglo-Saxons and the vast lowlands of England will be ours. We will split the lands and the riches among ourselves and be lords of all the isles.
-So tempting was a proposition that no one dared to refuse. Thus, the Gaelic Confederation was born: a tight alliance of Gaelic tribes combining their manpower into a single force. A strong confederation needed a central place from which the joint chieftains could administrate. They chose the settlement of Duiblinn. By the November, King Sheasnec was sailing towards Scotland at a head of a warband no less than thirty thousand strong.
-Storming the shores of Scotland, the Gaelic army makes headway and chases off the locals. Hearing of a new Roman power to the South, King Sheasnec dispatches an emissary to the settlement of Corinium Dobunnorum to negotiate a pact between the Confederation and the League. When the emissary returns, Sheasnec is pleased to hear that the League has accepted his proposal.

Turn III: 472 to 473 AD

300 OST - Fever Dream (HD Stereo)

Turn music

Political map of Turn III

Map of Britain during Turn III

Post link: https://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1530283&p=50922511&viewfull=1#post50922511

Subtitle - AD TRIARIOS REDISSE

Broguts - The Saxons
Leader: Various
Capital: Various
Primary Religion: Germanic Paganism
Culture: Germanic Saxon

-The year starts with calls for a renewed assault against the battered Ostrogoths. Mustering reinforcements from the alps, the Saxones once again pour South to meet the confused and distracted army of the Ostrogoths. This time, Rome will be theirs.
-The two armies once more meet in the field, though this time the odds are stacked against the Ostrogoths as the combined Saxon force now numbers a sizable thirty thousand men, including a new contingent of ragtag heavy cavalry lancers resembling the kataphractoi of the East.
-The Saxons charge furiously into the Ostrogothic frontline while archers batter them from the reserves. The Ostrogothic heavy cavalry comes in for a flank but is met by the smaller Saxon heavy cavalry. The Saxons use their superior numbers to bolster their flanks and detach a unit of infantry to attack the bogged down Ostrogoth cavalry. The Ostrogothic heavy cavalry is soon surrounded on all sides and begins to quickly collapse in on itself as Saxon spears and swords first stab their horses, and then the men to death.
-Panic begins to spread throughout the Ostrogothic front-ranks as the combined Saxon cavalry swings around to hammer the anvil. They form wedge and come crashing into the back ranks of the Ostrogothic infantry!
-The first units of the Ostrogothic infantry had begun routing when the boom of trumpets began to echo off the hills. Towards their left, the Saxons saw an Eastern Roman force break the horizon, charging furiously toward them! Towards their left, a surging force of Vandal infantry shook the ground under the Saxons' feet.
-The Saxon general broke out into a short fit of cursing and screaming, before ordering a full retreat!
-The Saxon infantry began to pull back from the nearly broken Ostrogothic infantry and the Saxon cavalry contingents broke off to cover the infantry retreat.
-The slow, but heavily armed kataphractoi of the Eastern Romans' army began to take strafing charges from the Saxon cavalry, then bearing the full brunt of the Saxon archer units.
-Routing the Saxon cavalry, the Eastern Roman cataphracts push forth to kill the fleeing footsoldiers, charging through a literal maelstrom of arrows. First one horse fell, and then a second, and then men began to fall off their horses and tumble into the floor. Some were pinned through the neck with heavy war arrows and others rode on with arrows sticking out of every part of their body.
-Seeing that the cataphracts will not stop, the Saxon general took a risk and detached several units of infantry as well as his own household guard to go intercept the cataphracts.
-The Eastern kataphractoi crashed furiously into the contingent, knocking some men into the air. It began to feel like a foolish move until a regrouped Saxon cavalry smacked headlong into the rear of the cataphracts, sending them into a panic. Risking his own annihilation, the Saxon general ordered his troops to create an opening in their encirclement.
-Taking the bait, the cataphracts used the opening to make a retreat back to their lines, pursued all the way by a shower of arrows.
-The Saxon general rallied his battered troops and made for the hills with the rest of his army. A successful retreat.
-Before the winter froze the alpine passes, the Saxons took their remaining forces and retreat North and out of Italy. They pushed up towards home, regrouping with forces defending the West against a Frankish invasion.
-The Saxons' unity solidified in this moment, their various tribes held together by a single purpose: survive.
-The Saxons send emissaries to the Anglians and the Jutes, asking for an alliance against the Franks. Knowing what lay in store for them if the Saxones were subjugated, they both eagerly accepted and began to muster armies to fight the Franks.

Griffster26 - Kingdom of Francia
Leader: Childericus, Rex Francorum, Ducis Frisionum, Praesidia cis Rhenum / Childeric, King of the Franks, Duke of the Frisians and Protector of the Rhine / Childerich, Kinnek vun de Franken, Herzog vun der Frisians an Protecteur vum Rhäin / Gilderik, Kening fan de Franken, hartoch fan de Friezen en beskermer fan de Ryn (King Childeric)
Capital: Durocortorum
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Frankish

-The Franks cast off the Roman yoke and declare their treaties with the Romans to be null and void. Childeric orders the Chi-Rho to be removed from the banner to reflect this change.
-As the new ice age continues its expansion and staple cropland begins to wither, officials from the administration instruct farmers to start planting different types of crops in seasonal rotations. This farming method, dubbed crop rotation, bolsters the year's food supplies and increases agricultural production.
-The kingdom's ever-expanding schooling system takes a note from the Romans and Greeks of old and schools across the kingdom now begin to include mathematics in their curriculums.
-The Franks open up trade with the Vandals to the far South. Slivers of traders begin to trickle through, but trade remains minimal due to border tolls imposed by the neutral Visigoths.
-With Frisia now subjugated, Childeric creates the Duchy of Friesland, an independent client state of the Frankish Kingdom. Its capital is founded at the old Roman castra at Traiectum.
-Unfortunately, this client state is short-lived: as soon as the bulk of the Saxons and Frisian allies return from Northern Italia, Frisia erupts into full revolt and any Frankish administrators, officials, and sympathisers are dragged into courtyards by mobs and beaten to death. Any projects or efforts being undertaken in Frisia are cut short.
-Eager to test his newly established professional forces against a worthy foe, Childeric takes direct control of the Merovingian army and sweeps into Saxonia at the head of twenty-five thousand Franks, seven thousand internal Swabian troops, two thousand Frisian levies, and an additional contingent of four thousand Swabian allied troops. Combined, they form a massive force of no less than thirty-eight thousand men.
-In a calculated move, Childeric offers support to the Alemannic chief Gibuld should he attempt to take power over his peoples and unite the Alemanni into a single kingdom. He does just this, and with the help of the Franks the tribes of Swabia are united under a single banner. In eternal debt to the good king Childeric, Gibuld pledges his support in the war against the Saxons and musters a force of twenty-thousand fighting men to join in the invasion.

EuSKalduna - Kingdom of the Vandals
Leader: Geisericus Rex (King Genseric)
Capital: Carthago
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: East Germanic

-The Vandals send an emissary to the expanding Visigoths who now virtually stand at their doorstep with massed armies. The Vandals offer to cede some of their controlled territory to the Goths, and in exchange the Goths will recognize their claims to Southern Iberia. The Visigoths accept, and quickly march South to take over control of their newly-acquired territories.
-Meanwhile, forces North of Carthago Nova pull back to the city proper and continue work on fortifications and infrastructure. Carthago Nova's harbor and drydocks swell to enormous size as the city becomes one of the most popular stops for trade ships in the Western Mediterranean.
-Corsica and Ibiza are fully militarized, the islands becoming small fort-kingdoms to be used as stopping points for Vandal fleets and armies.
-The Vandals open up tariff-free trade with the Franks, mainly purchasing metal, timber, and extra weapons. However, the cost is high as the Visigoths impose road tolls on traders coming back and forth from the two lands.
-Vandal forces across the Mediterranean begin to draw back and consolidate, forming a solid garrison on the land borders of the Vandal Kingdom. Neapolis and Magna Graecia are completely evacuated and handed off to the Romans, with the remaining Vandal army in Italy pushing north in unison with the Eastern Roman and Ostrogothic forces.
-The Vandals "politely" petition the Ostrogoths to hand over Liguria. Seeing an overbearing Roman force to their right shoulder and the Vandal Army breathing down their neck, they oblige.
-Increased traffic along the North-African coast sees the rapid expansion of infrastructure at key naval resting points. Ports grow and accommodations increase, making the Vandal kingdom ever-more prestigious and powerful.
-Naval raids against the Berbers intensify, with warships focusing in specifically on the Strait of Gibraltar. Eventually, the strait becomes so clouded with Vandal naval elements that the Berbers are forced to take alternative routes up into the Iberian.

Zillamaster55 - The Berbers
Leader: King Sila
Capital: Various
Primary Religion: Gurzilism
Culture: Berber

-The Berbers continue their relentless expansion into the Iberian, making a strong push towards the North-West. The invading forces take priority on capturing food stores and agricultural centers rather than besieging cities directly, feeding these supplies back into the heartland and then circling the supplies back to the invading armies.
-The expansion of the Berbers is only checked by fierce attacks from the Vandals, who pursue a naval blockade of the Strait of Gibraltar. For a short time, traffic between the two halves of the Berber Kingdom ceases completely until the Berbers find alternate routes to Spain. Still, their control over the Western coast of the Iberian collapses completely as traffic there disappears.
-A new major population center is formed in Southern Iberia, dubbed Yallitnakhe. Large numbers of settlers from North Africa begin to flock to this new site, quickly erecting buildings and infrastructure.
-The tribe of King Sila begins to assimilate nobles from the other tribes of the Kingdom in an effort to unify his peoples. More and more nowadays, King Sila's status as ruler of all the Berbers begins to solidify.
-The Berbers begin to inspect and copy disused infrastructure from captured Roman settlements. In specific, they begin to make wide use of irrigation to transport water - an absolute must in order to support their rapidly expanding population. This greatly increases the efficiency of agriculture and enriches the South-Iberian territories.
-King Sila institutes a law-code inspired by the ancient code of Hammurabi, including extremely harsh punishments for lawbreakers and "equivalent" retribution. Crime rates seem to take a dip after the new code of laws comes into enforcement, and many of the conservative Berbers applaud their king for his harsh stance on criminality.

Native Hunter - Eastern Roman Empire
Leader: Flavius Valerius Leo Augustus (Emperor Leo I)
Capital: Constantinople
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Greco-Roman

-The Romans begin encouraging Christian immigration from Nubia and Ethiopa, granting fertile Nile real-estate to those willing to leave their old homes behind. Many take this offer and by the turn of the new year, farmers and artisans begin to steadily trickle into Egypt, eagerly welcomed by the Romans
-Worried about unexpected invaders, Emperor Leo orders the governor of Egypt to begin fortifying the Nile and holding the Legions at full readiness.
-The Romans join in the fight against the Saxons, crossing the Adriatic and linking up with the Ostrogoth and Vandal armies to bolster the defense of middle Italia. After the Saxons are routed, the Roman forces split from the main force and push South to facilitate the transfer of Neapolis and Magna Graecia from Vandal to Roman control.
-Leo begins a restructuring of the Roman bureacracy, imposing further rules and regulations on local administrations in the way they administrate.
-Concerned with the flow of wealth out from the empire and towards the East, the Emperor imposes tariffs on imports from the East. In response, consumers begin to look more towards the smugglers and domestic producers for alternatives to exotic Eastern goods. Of particular note is the appearance of a singular silk-shop in the main forum of Constantinople. Word soon spreads that a wealthy Greek merchant named Erastos Polynopolous has somehow gotten his hands on the means to produce silk, and people from all over begin to flock to Constantinople to purchase his new Roman-made silk. Erastos soon becomes infinitely rich, his wealth surpassing city treasuries and rivaling that of provincial governors.
-The Empire begins to flood Arabia Magna with Christian missionaries in an attempt turn Pagan Arabs to the word of God. The tolerant pagans of Arabia's various settlements welcome the Christians with open arms, and reports coming back from Arabia show that conversion progress is steady, although painstakingly slow.

Pezgod1 - Kingdom of Hestia
Leader: King Gunderit
Capital: Haimothli
Primary Religion: Arian Christianity
Culture: Mixed (East Germanic, Baltic)

-The Gepids, vying to increase their military manpower, establish a system similar the early Roman auxilia units wherein slaves are promised freedom from bondage if they join the military and serve faithfully. Quite a few people oblige the Gepids in hopes of earning freedom through military service.
-The various subjugated tribes of the Hestian kingdom are also promised full enfranchisement if they join the military, and many do join. Soon enough, the Gepid military swells in size, more than doubling its existing numbers with new recruits. Most of these new soldiers are trained as infantry, tipping the unit composition of the Gepid army heavily towards footsoldiers and away from cavalry. Some of these new recruits are sent off across the kingdom and stationed in road posts and local town guards.
-A consequence of this large scale integration of the conquered peoples into the Gepid military is the start of cultural diffusion - as the Gepids' East Germanic language begins to find its way onto paper, Slavic and Baltic loanwords start to appear in writings and letters.
-The Gepids' Arian religion also begins to find its way into the societies of the conquered peoples. Christian churches begin to pop up all over the Kingdom, becoming focal points of many communities.
-The Gepids undergo a project to improve their infrastructure, connecting major settlements with brick roads and guard posts.

Damian0358 - The Romano-British League
Main Leader: Caleddin Glevicus, Dux Britanniae, Magister Militum per Britannicum (Duke Glevicus)
Capital: Corinium Dobunnorum, Londinium, Isca Dumnoniorum, Durnonovaria, Venta Belgarum, Verulamium, Calleva Atrebatum, Venta Silurum, Brerding Vectensis
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Romano-British

-Briton refugees residing in Northern Gaul and Iberia begin to return in swathes, some volunteering to join the ranks of the Legions and take the fight to the Germanic invaders.
-Efforts in expanding the military power of the League are joined by efforts to repair its infrastructure. Workers hailing from every allied settlement are hired to go around repairing decayed and disused Roman infrastructure, and these facilities are quickly re-occupied and put to use, namely by Britons returning from Armorica. Enhancements and buildup of existing infrastructure is also done across the League, echoing efforts undertaken in Londinium.
-Isca manages to bring the rest of Dumnonia into the League, while emissaries sent to Venta Silurum and Vectis return with good news. Both settlements are brought into the League and made official capitals, as per tradition.
-Confident in their skills and readiness, the Magister Militum takes direct command of Legio Secunda Britannica and leads them to the front with the ever-expanding Anglo-Saxons. The arrival of Legio II Britannica brings the Anglian invasion of the Verulamian Duchy to a dead halt, leaving only a small straggling tribe surrounded on two sides by the Legion and her Londinian militia allies. It is now that the Corinian Legion truly gains its fearsome reputation as an elite fighting force - the rout of an entire invading front proves that Legio II Britannica is the premier army in Britain.
-Legio XX Valeria Victrix, commander by the Londinians, deploys directly East of Londinian and manages to decisively halt the Saxon advance towards the settlement after being forced to fall back several times. However, the new Legion is unable to stand up to its older cousin and the Londinian legionaries sustain heavy and ongoing casualties in their attempt to brace against Saxon invaders.
-Their suffering is somewhat relieved by the commissioning of yet another Legion, this time drawn from a joint reserve of Iscan, Ventan, and Durnonovarian troops: Legio IX Hispana. The new Legion immediately makes for the frontlines and manages to cut a chunk out of the mysteriously weak Southern coastal Saxons.
-Despite the surprising initial success of the Romano-British legions, by late autumn the momentum of all fronts barring the front of Legio II Britannica have again reversed to favor the Germanic invaders.
-Fearing their aggressive expansion outward would put their home settlements at risk, both Legio IX Hispana and Legio XX Valeria Victrix began making preparations to fall back into the heart of the League.
-That is, until... [continued in the turn of the Gaelic Confederation]

Shisno - The Gaelic Confederation
Leader: King Sheasnec
Capital: Duiblinn
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Gaelic

-Fearing their aggressive expansion outward would put their home settlements at risk, both Legio IX Hispana and Legio XX Valeria Victrix began making preparations to fall back into the heart of the Romano-British League.
-That is, until the Gaels appeared over the horizon.
-King Sheasnec quickly surged Southward at the head of a staggering seventy-five thousand warriors. First breaking an Anglo-Saxon siege of Colonia Lindum (and securing their eternal gratitude,) Sheasnec then continued South, cutting the Anglo-Saxon and Saxon fronts clean in half as he strafed the border between the League and the Germanic invaders. Everywhere he went, the Germanic invaders ran for the hills. Sheasnec then continued forth and the space he left behind was quickly filled by a surge of allied Gaelic invaders. When Sheasnec arrived to meet the commanders of Legio XX, he was greeted with cheers across the ranks, hailed as a hero and savior. Confident and emboldened, Sheasnec continued as South as far as the roads would take him, finishing off the Southern Saxons in one fell swoop. By the end of the year, Sheasnec and his confederated Gaels had managed to cut out a huge swath of land spanning from the lowlands of Scotland to the Southern coast of England, and Sheasnec had no intention to stop there.
-As a token of thanks for helping them against the Saxons, the legionaries of Legio XX Valeria Victrix donate a small supply of leather armor to Sheasnec's army, and the king has a few of these suits sent back up North so they can figure out how to reproduce and improve them.
-The crafty artisans and tailors among the Gaels manage to fashion up something that will later come to be dubbed "brigandine" - fabric armor vests sporting patched-on metal plating. The first of those to receive this new armor are the soldiers in Sheasnec's household guard and some allied armies up-North, but plans to distribute the armor among his entire force are in motion.
-Meanwhile in the homeland, the tribal leaders of Sheasnec's Eblani began to levy merchants, artisan, and traders to construct a proper navy. They re-purposed transport and trade ships into warships, then sending them off to patrol the waters between Ireland and the Britains.
-Taking cues from the Franks, the Gaels begin to practice crop rotation, planting a variety of crops in seasonal rotation.

Turn IV: 473 to 474 AD

300 OST - To Victory (HD Stereo)

Turn music

Political map of Turn IV

Map of Britain during Turn IV

Post link: https://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1530283&p=50960082&viewfull=1#post50960082

Subtitle - SI VIS PACEM PARA BELLUM

Shisno - The Gaelic Confederation
Leader: King Sheasnec
Capital: Duiblinn
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Gaelic

-Confident in his momentum, Sheasnec continues pushing East with his army, defeating force after force of Saxons as he pushes them all the way to the coast. By the time the Gaels reach the coast, the Saxons are boarding ships outbound for Germania. Those who cannot board in time are overwhelmed and slaughtered, their landed ships raided and hijacked.
-With the Saxons officially pushed out of Albion, Sheasnec prepares to swing his army North. A small detachment is sent ahead of the main bulk of the force to reinforce Legions Valeria Victrix and Hispana, who promptly push out the Saxons in the North and begin to put pressure on the Anglo-Saxon invaders.
-With the Southern war concluded, some of the hardened veterans of the fighting are pulled out of the army and sent to train recruits back in the home-lines. Recruits coming in to reinforce the Gael holdings now bear some semblance to trained soldiers, complete with armor suits and proper weaponry.
-A new set of emissaries is sent to the Pictish kingdoms East of the Gaelic holdings. They come carrying severed heads of Saxons, asking the Picts to join the Gaels in a glorious conquest against the Germanics. Eager to respond to this tempting offer, the Picts send their own emissaries back carrying the heads of the Gaelic emissaries - glorious battle there indeed will be!
-The Gaels launch a preemptive invasion of the Pict lands, but their 50,000 strong force is single-handedly routed by a claymore-wielding Mel Gibson. The Gaels run away in fear as he rushes into their lines, one-hitting warriors as he goes and decapitating his enemies at will. A crushing defeat for the Gaels indeed. Thankfully, flesh replacements were well on their way and the Gaelic force is completely replenished by the end of the year.

Damian0358 - The Britannian League
Main Leader: Caleddin Glevicus, Dux Britanniae, Magister Militum per Britannicum (Duke Glevicus)
Capital: Corinium Dobunnorum, Londinium, Isca Dumnoniorum, Durnonovaria, Venta Belgarum, Verulamium, Calleva Atrebatum, Venta Silurum, Brerding Vectensis
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Romano-British

-Now at liberty to really expand their infrastructure, the Dobunni begin to make serious upgrades to their fortifications.
-Legio II Britannica surrounds the remaining Anglo-Saxons in the North-West and overwhelms them with the help of Londinian militiamen. They then swing North and wrest large swaths of territory from the disoriented Anglo-Saxons.
-A relief force of Gaels arrives ahead of Sheasnec's army and reinforces the Legions Valeria Victrix and Hispana. They begin a push Eastward, eliminating the final vestiges of Saxon control over Albion.
-Although the effort is successful, Legio XX Valeria Victrix suffers heavy casualties after coming face-to-face with a killer rabbit, and they are forced to retreat North and link-up with Legio Hispana. Together with the Gaels, they prepare to push North..
-A final call is made for Romano-Britons in Armorica to come back to the homeland. After a while, the amount of newcomers begins to fizzle out as those willing to oblige the league all make their way back to Albion.
-With the flight of Romano-British settlers in North-Western Gaul, the native Gauls begin to consolidate power around the settlements of Lannion, Erquy and Reginca.
-With continued centralization around Corinium Dobunnorum, work continues on rebuilding the administration and infrastructure that has been left to decay since the Romans abandoned the island. The ports of Londinium are given special attention in this respect, and the harbor soon starts to crowd with trade ships arriving from Roman Syagria and Francia.
-The new members of the league are also given minor assistance not unlike previous efforts with the League's existing members.

Griffster26 - Kingdom of Francia
Leader: Childericus, Rex Francorum, Ducis Frisionum, Praesidia cis Rhenum / Childeric, King of the Franks, Duke of the Frisians and Protector of the Rhine / Childerich, Kinnek vun de Franken, Herzog vun der Frisians an Protecteur vum Rhäin / Gilderik, Kening fan de Franken, hartoch fan de Friezen en beskermer fan de Ryn (King Childeric)
Capital: Durocortorum
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Frankish

-The Merovingians build a huge impregnable wall spanning the Eastern border with the Saxons, but the Saxon army just swings around it and pushes the Franks out. Damn those Germans!
-As the Franks are pushed back by the consolidated Saxon and Anglian forces coming back in, a detachment is dispatched to Swabia to help the united Alemanni against the impending storm - the Merovingians and their allies spend the whole year harassing and whittling down Saxon forces fighting in Alemannia as the main front in Saxonia proper is braced by the bulk of Childeric's soldiers.
-Even despite this constant harassment, raiding, and frontline fighting, the villages and settlements of Saxonia remain mostly unscathed - the Franks seem to have foregone any sort of pillaging, looting, or sacking whatsoever.
-A blockade in the Northern sea is enacted by Childeric's naval forces, preventing Angles and Saxons from returning to their homelands to fight against the Franks. Some ships full of Saxon warriors fleeing from King Sheasnec's wrath are outright sunken. The series of naval engagements that takes place throughout the year will later come to be labeled by historians as the "Sea of Saxons".
-An emissary is sent to Soissons to ask for assistance against the Saxons, but the Franks are rebuffed for now. The Romano-Gauls cite Visigothic aggression in the South as the reason for their rejection, but promise to commit forces later on.
-Similarly, a prize of land grants and titles is offered to to the Anglian and Jute lords and chiefs in exchange for surrender and conversion to Christianity. The Angles respond by staying Pagans and granting themselves half of Frisia anyways.
-Pagans in occupied Saxon territory are given the option to convert to Christianity in order to integrate into normal life. Otherwise, they are allowed to remain Pagan but must pay a religious tax to the King in exchange for their transgressions against the faith of the Kingdom. Most choose simply to convert at this point, though as the Frankish gains are slowly reversed, many just convert right back to their native Paganism as soon as the Saxon army sweeps past them.

Broguts - The Saxons
Leader: Various
Capital: Various
Primary Religion: Germanic Paganism
Culture: Germanic Saxon

-Arriving back in Saxonia proper in force, the Saxons begin to push back against the Merovingian invaders and their Swabian allies. The Saxons manage to reverse the Frankish momentum and push them back to a specific strip of territory from which each side is unable to push much further either direction.
-This quick reversal of losses in aided in part by the new Saxon general and Roman expat, Eriunius Romulanus. Taking command of the Saxons' newfound heavy cavalry regiments, he quickly pushes the Franks back past their heavy fortifications by swinging around the North side and completely avoiding the fortifications altogether. What a tactical genius! For his decisive and sharp-witted command, Romulanus earns the nickname "Vulpes" - or Fox.
-The Saxons soon begin to send messengers across their homelands, hoping to reassure the Saxon settlements that help has arrived and that they should take up arms against the Franks. Many Saxon settlements soon close down and fortify their gates, bracing for the incoming Frankish onslaught.

EuSKalduna - Despotate of Africa
Leader: Geisericus Rex (King Genseric)
Capital: Carthago
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: East Germanic

-Vandal presence on the Iberian intensifies greatly through the year, with armies marching South-West to wrest Hispalis from the Berbers. Cut off and disorganized, the Berbers in Hispalis are overrun and flee deeper into their core territory. The advancing Vandal armies are bolstered with allied troops from conquered tribes.
-By mid-year, the Gibraltar crossing is flooded with Vandal warships, Berbers from each side of the straight watching with uncertainty as the enemy stands imposingly between them.
-Still, land-gains against the Berbers are slow and relatively costly as the powerful and effective cavalry of the Numidian Berbers gives the Vandals significant trouble with expansion.
-Citing a lack of 'spiciness' and a need to counter the Berbers' Numidian cavalry, King Genseric orders the commission of the 1st Legion Lion Cavalry. Deploying to the frontlines, these new experimental beastvalry units prove to be highly effective - their skills in close combat are unparalleled due to the ability of the mount to join the rider in combat, and the maintenance cost of the units is half that of conventional cavalry since the mounts are able to resupply using the dead bodies of the enemy. Berber DEFCON Level is now: 1
-The Vandals begin extracting silver from their Iberian holdings and using it to mint coinage - these new coins are effectively Eastern Roman coinage, with Vandal mints putting out near-exact copies of the Eastern silver coins.
-They take these coins with them when they push into Milan and Malta. Vandal settlers are moved in and begin to occupy these two locations, beginning to build up their infrastructure. Construction on Malta is primarily geared toward military purposes. In rebuilding the decayed structures of Milan, the Vandals rediscover old Roman masonry techniques (namely the arch!) and transcribe them into manuals. These manuals slowly begin to find their way from Milan to other parts of the Vandals' coastal empire. New buildings and construction projections begin to see a sort of common architectural style develop.
-As the Vandals begin to move into their dwellings, they bring their standard of weights and measures with them. Trade with other cultures soon begins to see the spread of a cross-national system of weights and measures taking hold, spearheaded by the Vandals.

Native Hunter - Eastern Roman Empire
Leader: Flavius Leo Iunior Augustus (Emperor Leo II)
Capital: Constantinople
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Greco-Roman

-The Sassanians send an emissary to the Romans, demanding a cessation of border fortification between the two. If the Romans discontinue fortifying border settlements, the Sassanids will too agree to cease making fortifications. However, the Romans rebuff the Sassanians. With Emperor Leo I personally present for the diplomatic interactions, he reminds the Sassanid emissary where he is and kicks him down a well! The Romans draw swords and the Sassanid emissary's party is slaughtered!
-Leo I knows what he has done, and rallies his elite household guard of 300 fighters to make a stand against the incoming Sassanid Legions.
-The Persian king approaches with his full force in tow. He asks only that the Emperor kneel to him and swear fealty. Leo kneels, but then surprises the Persian King! He springs up off the shoulder of one of his soldiers, tossing a pilum straight towards the King's Throne! The pilum grazes his face, spilling mortal blood from the immortal King's cheek. He looks on in surprise and rage as the Persian archers yoke, coating the shielded Romans in arrows. They make their last stand, but they quickly fall to the Persian archers.... King Leo is last to fall, having fought to the death. The tale of the 300 Romans echoes throughout the Empire and Leo I is hailed as a hero, gaining the nickname "Leonidas" for his last stand at the Anatolian pass.
-Well, not really. This tale is mostly taken as Imperial propaganda and most just assume Leo died in his bed from old age.
-Hoping to gain a sense of legitimacy (and a decent puppet,) the Ostrogoths name Praetor Malvan as their new emperor. Malvanus once again takes the throne of the Western empire, and soon caves in to the demands of the Eastern Romans to cede Illyria. In exchange, the West is given Magna Graecia, therefore uniting Italia. The Eastern garrisons of Magna Graecia and Neapolis pack up and cross the Adriatic to Illyria.
-The soldiers take some civilian settlers with them as well, helping to repopulate the devastated Illyrian province.
-With increased trade from the West, major Eastern ports at cities such as Alexandria, Benghazi, and Cyrene see major expansions to their commercial harbors and drydocks. This comes at the same time as an expansion to the Eastern Roman fleet.
-Monks in the monasteries are encouraged to share their brewing secrets with peasants and freemen across the empire so that Roman citizens can enjoy a pint and entrepreneurs the profits of producing and selling them. The popularity of the new Emperor Leo II soars as the public lauds him as the "Little Lord of Mead".
-The Emperor's advisors commission a project to restore and repair the roads of the empire that may have fallen into disrepair from war or the environment. Particular effort is put into the roads of North Africa, which have fallen into deep disrepair since the golden age of the empire.
-Lands in Illyria and elsewhere are sectioned off and sold as vineyards. These land slots are quickly eaten up by the Eastern Roman aristocracy and local settlers, who begin to spearhead a burgeoning Illyrian wine industry.
-Seeing the end of his days quickly approaching (whether on his death-bed or in a last stand against a million-man Persian army,) Leo I puts a formalized code of succession into action under which succession is to be defined as agnatic primogeniture, under which the firstborn male son is to rule the Empire after his father. If the firstborn son dies, his son is to take over and if this line is extinguished the eldest brother of the first son is to inherit and so on and so forth. If no Heir is available, the Senate is to elect a new Emperor from among the strategos, the generals of the Empire. However, if the Emperor has a living Daughter but no male heir, her Son may inherit the Empire and if he dies without issue her husband shall be crowned emperor.
-Reining in missionary efforts in Arabia, Leo II's advisory creates the office of the Archbishop of Arabia. Based in Petra, it is tasked in dealing with the missionary projects and proselytization of Arabia under the protection of the empire.
-In a strange turn of events, the mega-rich silk merchant Erastos Polynopolous is arrested for murder after killing his son. A quick trial is put up and witnesses attest to the murder. Promptly, the merchant Erastos is blinded and exiled to Mount Athos, where he is to live out the rest of his life as a monk. His burgeoning silk empire is quickly gobbled up by imperial agents, and his vast purse and profits are directed into the imperial treasury.

Pezgod1 - Kingdom of Hestia
Leader: King Gunderit
Capital: Haimothli
Primary Religion: Arian Christianity
Culture: Mixed (East Germanic, Baltic)

-Taking inspiration from the Eastern Romans and their professional soldiers, the Gepids begin to train their on-and-off warriors to use the shield-wall tactics of the Romans, as well as a mix of situational tactics developed toward their current needs.
-Eager to test out these new pseudo-tactics, the Gepids direct their forces South and carve out a new piece of territory for their people to settle. At the tail of the armies, settlers move in and begin to set up.
-A port is constructed in Haimothli, with some small row-powered ramships being built out of the plentiful Baltic timber. Soon enough, the Gepids boast a small (and inexperienced,) but locally unmatched navy.
-The power and influence of the church in Hestia begins to gradually grow as priests start to go out and interact with their communities. The church in general begins to form the basis of a crude system of social welfare with their attempts to feed and assist the poor. Soon enough, large swathes of the Gepids' native subjects begin converting to Christianity and church attendance skyrockets.
-These interactions and developments are chronicled in a grand book of local cultures and settlements. Dubbed the Encyclopædia Gunderica, this large book serves as an exhaustive list of cultural groups and settlements lying outside the kingdom, including localized maps and navigational charts.
-In similar vein to the Gepids' appropriation of Roman military traditions, the Gepids appropriate Roman civic conditions and write up a basic code of law which is to apply across the kingdom. Consequences of lawbreaking range from fines for petty offenses to straight up exile or death for major offenses.
-The Gepids take this opportunity to also codify their laws of succession. This new succession is modeled after the Eastern Roman system of agnatic primogeniture.
-Hoping to establish the precedent, King Gunderit takes a noble woman from the Baltic tribes and weds her as his queen, thus establishing the first Gepid dynasty of the Hestian kingdom.
-Completing their mission to take [Territories South of Us], the Gepid council awards the king 6 units of Noble Swordsman at his capital. What else are you holding back from me, council!?

Notes: The next turn is going to leave Phase 1 of the RP and enter Phase 2, but the Saxon War isn't finished yet. As such, 3 subturns had to be made.

Turn IV∴: 474 to 475 AD

Justin Timberlake - TKO

Turn music

Political map of Turn IV∴

Map of Britain during Turn IV∴

Post link: https://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1530283&p=50997004&viewfull=1#post50997004

Subtitle - MORIOR INVICTUS

THE SAXON WAR
Kingdom of Francia / Kingdom of Hestia / Kingdom of the Saxons

-The year is kicked off with a peace treaty being signed between the Franks and the Saxons. A summit is held in the Frankish capital to discuss terms, and the two sides come to an agreement.
-In a show of friendship and goodwill, the Franks announce their newfound peace with a surprise invasion of Saxony. With the assistance of the Hestian Kingdom and the united Alemanni, the Frankish army pushes deep into Saxon territory, taking village after village.
-Unfortunately, the Gepid attack did not come soon enough and the Saxon leadership was able to make it back to their homelands and evade arrest by the Franks.
-Now beginning to see what has transpired, the Saxons mobilize for a counter-offensive. They manage to slow the Frankish advance but suffer an utter rout at the river Alba and are forced to retreat into the core of their territory. The unity of the Saxons solidifies and their military strength begins to grow as villagers take up arms to fight a war of survival. Others pack up and get ready to run.
-The Franks find it especially difficult to make gains the further they go into the core of what is currently Saxony - the Saxons have heavily fortified their front with the Franks and Alemanni and the Merovingian armies suffer constant harassment, ambush, and logistical issues.
-The front with the Gepids is a different story entirely, with the Hestian armies making good headway inland.

Griffster26 - Kingdom of Francia
Leader: Childericus, Rex Francorum, Ducis Frisionum, Praesidia cis Rhenum / Childeric, King of the Franks, Duke of the Frisians and Protector of the Rhine / Childerich, Kinnek vun de Franken, Herzog vun der Frisians an Protecteur vum Rhäin / Gilderik, Kening fan de Franken, hartoch fan de Friezen en beskermer fan de Ryn (King Childeric)
Capital: Durocortorum
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Frankish

-A war tax goes out for all settlements in order to keep things running smoothly while the Merovingian armies wage war in Saxony. Villagers (and the nobility, notably) everywhere grumble angrily as another burden of tax is laid upon them, with many of the newly-literate peasants writing letters to King Childeric that they simply cannot afford the tax and that local agents are hassling and threatening them.
-The conquering of Saxon lands is handled as per usual Frankish policy - pure occupation, and strictly no looting.

Pezgod1 - Kingdom of Hestia
Leader: King Gunderit
Capital: Haimothli
Primary Religion: Arian Christianity
Culture: Mixed (East Germanic, Baltic)

-The Kingdom quickly signs a formal military alliance with the Franks as they make their way into Saxony and directly attack Saxon warbands.

Broguts - Kingdom of the Saxons
Leader: King Gutseric (Gusericus Rex)
Capital: Various
Primary Religion: Germanic Paganism
Culture: Germanic Saxon

-With the Saxon peoples unified and in need of leader in these desperate times, a þing, or moot is held to elect a king of the Saxon peoples. Out of the assembly comes Gusericus, a well-known and well-liked Saxon chief. He takes the throne of all of Saxony as Gusericus Rex, taking command of the Saxon warbands.

Damian0358 - The Britannian League
Main Leader: Caleddin Glevicus, Dux Britanniae, Magister Militum per Britannicum (Duke Glevicus)
Capital: Corinium Dobunnorum, Londinium, Isca Dumnoniorum, Durnonovaria, Venta Belgarum, Verulamium, Calleva Atrebatum, Venta Silurum, Brerding Vectensis
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Romano-British

-With the Saxons pushed off the shores of England, all of the League's forces and allied troops congregate at the front with the Anglo-Jutes for one final push against the Germanic invaders. The army of King Sheasnec cuts into the Anglo-Jute lines and besieges and takes Venta, assisted by his new corps of ballista units.
-Legio II Britannica sweeps in North of Venta and pushes the stragglers out, chasing them all the way to the shores while Legio IX Hispana pushes through the center of the Anglo-Jute territory, assisting Sheasnec in the assault on Venta Icenorum.
-Legio XX Valeria Victrix splits up and carves out Anglo-Jute territory in the North while moving into Durovernum to acquire control of the area from Sheasnec's army. Victory!
-With victory secured in England, the Corinium Dobunnorum sends an emissary to Colonia Lindum, offering the Lindans to join the League. The Romano-Britons are harshly rebuffed by their Lindan cousins, the emissaries sent back empty-handed.
-Emissaries are also sent to Insulae Silinae and Vindelis, but they both softly refuse, citing an unwillingness to be absorbed into somebody else's duchy. They send the Britannian emissaries back with assurance that they may consider joining in the future, if they can be guaranteed independent membership.
-The League organizes an effort to send post-conflict rebuilding assistance to areas affected by the Germanic invasions and subsequent battles.
-The Magister Militum calls a council in Londinium to discover post-war relations between League members and what is next, but the results are inconclusive at best. Nothing in particular is decided as the council disperses.
-With the Romano-Britons in Armorica mostly gone for their homeland, the Gauls form an official state, filling the power vacuum.

EuSKalduna - Despotate of Africa
Leader: Geisericus Rex (King Genseric)
Capital: Carthago
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: East Germanic

-The Vandals continue expansion Eastward into Mauritania, but their gains are negated by the resistance of rising and powerful Moorish tribes as the Berber kingdom begins to collapse into itself.
-The conquest of Southern Hispania goes as planned, however, with the the Berbers suffering a decisive defeat at Hispalis. The Berber administration is thrown out of the Iberian and Berber tribesmen grumble as they're forced to live under the yoke of the wretched Germans.
-More and more slaves and plunder begins to come in as the Vandals intensify their coastal raids again - Carthage begins to swell with free labor and ill-gotten wealth.
-This is only helped by the king's subsidy of silver mines in Hispania, which causes the silver mining industry grow at unprecedented rates. The King smiles ear to ear from his African palace as he watches his wealth and influence skyrocket to never-before seen levels.
-To protect their maritime interests, the Vandals begin constructing cothons inspired by the cothon of Carthage at their various ports - these enclosed circular harbors are reserved for military use only, and protect the Vandals' military fleets from attack by enemy ships during sieges.
-The construction of bigger ships and demand for quicker construction leads to the use of dock-cranes - these first appear in the dockyards of Carthage and Carthago Nova, but soon begin to see use in smaller harbors across the Vandal Kingdom. Not only does this allow quicker and more efficient construction of valuable military ships, but allows the Vandals to move onto making bigger, meaner warships. Suffice to say, the Despotate of Africa has already seen comparisons to the Carthaginian civilization of old.
-Trade routes are set up between Carthage and Italy, much-needed grain making its way to the "Western Roman Empire."

Turn IVS: 475 to 476 AD

300 Rise Of An Empire - End Credits - Soundtrack Score

Turn music

Political map of Turn IVS

Map of Britain during Turn IVS

Post link: https://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1530283&p=51031381&viewfull=1#post51031381

Subtitle - Η ΤΑΝ Η ΕΠΙ ΤΑΣ

THE SAXON WAR
Kingdom of Francia / Kingdom of Hestia / Kingdom of the Saxons / The Britannian League / The Gaelic Confederation

-Frankish advances in the upper Western front grind to a halt as the Saxons mount a decisive defense against the Merovingian armies. The Franks pull back and swing South to join up with the Alemannic forces fighting their way North.
-The Franks once again call upon Soissons to join in the effort, but the Frankish emissaries are rebuffed.
-The Alemanni are far more depleted than expected, though this has more to do with much of the army splitting off to go fight Soissons in the South, who have have launched an invasion of Swabia. Syagrius maintains that he is reclaiming lost Roman land, and that the Franks will be left alone.
-Still, the Franks and their remaining Alemannic allies manage to cut a deep gash into the Saxons' lines.
-Peasants and villagers begin to flee North towards Jutland, waving the advancing Anglian soldiers by as they pass.
-The arrival of the Anglo-Jutes on the front coincides with the arrival of the Britannian League's two most elite forces on the beaches of the Cimbrian. Joined by a Gaelic force of roughly three thousand men, Legio XX Valeria Victrix and Legio II Britannica make headway and establish a camp and patrol routes on the Western edge of the peninsula. They suffer constant harassment by Anglian scouts and skirmishers, but manage to hold for now.
-The Gepids push steadily West, burning forests and smoking out villages as they go. So far, any Saxon resistance is no match for the Hestians and they are quickly routed when met in the field. The soldiers attempt to keep the population of the lands they go through under control, but fail as they all flee North to follow the Saxon warband.
-The Gepids, supplied only by a thin, shaky, and frequently-harassed logistical chain stretching out from their homeland, find themselves in a dire situation as the land is unable to provide for their daily food and water needs.
-The Northern lines of the Gepids are shattered by an Anglian assault, and the Gepid armies are forced to regroup further South, pushing North-West.
-The year ends with a Saxon Northern pivot, leaving the Southern lands of Saxonia to the Franks and Alemanni. The Saxons, along with their Anglo-Jute allies, begin to lock down their existing lines. Little land changes hands in the early winter season, as fighting begins to slow down and the Saxons make use of favorable terrain and devastating defensive tactics.

Turn IVS∴: 476 to 477 AD

300 Rise Of An Empire - A Beach of Bodies - Soundtrack Score

Turn music

Political map of Turn IVS∴

Post link: https://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1530283&p=51105956&viewfull=1#post51105956

Subtitle - INCEPTO NE DESISTAM

THE SAXON WAR
Kingdom of Francia / Kingdom of Hestia / Kingdom of the Saxons / The Britannian League / The Gaelic Confederation

-The year starts off with little to no fighting aside from petty raids from either side as winter slogs forth. The casualties have mounted and all sides have suffered dearly, but no side has suffered more from this war than the Saxon people - their homelands razed and their fledgling nation torn asunder, many have been forced to pack up and leave everything they know for the cold wintery lands in the North. Those fortunate to have survived will recall with terror these harsh years.
-But alas, it was time for all to put down their weapons. With their army retreating North into the cold winter, never to be seen again, the Saxon nation was defeated and the Anglo-Jute confederation had begun to lose interest in this war over an already-dead tribe. Sending emissaries across the river, they sued for peace with the Merovingian alliance, and peace they got.
-The land of the Frisians was returned to them and the Northmen were allowed to return North across the river where they belonged. The Franks and their allies quickly swept in to pick up the pieces that remained of Saxony. It was truly a sad sight to behold.
-With their war in the South finished up, the Angles looked to the West where a British force imposed and threatened their shores. Now on the defense themselves, their experienced and weary warriors made for the Western Cimbrian, seeking to drive out these invaders.
-Facing a decisive defeat at Doogebel, the Britannian Legions Secunda Britannica and Vigesima Valeria Victrix dropped sails and headed home, licking their wounds.
-Soissons in the West, convinced by the pleading of its Eastern neighbors and some extra coin in its purse stopped its attacks into Alemannia. The Magister Militum per Gallias chose to leave his armies where they stood, however.

Peace was now upon us. Fragile peace, and uncertainty for the future... The kingdoms and empires of the world hunkered down for the long haul, watching as their world frosted over. Winter had come......

Turn V: 477 to 800 AD

Byzantine chant - Δεύτε λαοί

Turn music

Political map of Turn V

Map of Albion during Turn V

Religious map of Turn V
Thin bars means the minority is greater than 25% of the local population
Thick bars means it is the majority

Post link: https://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1530283&p=51148110&viewfull=1#post51148110

Subtitle - ROIS FAINÉANTS

Native Hunter - Roman Empire
Leader: Emperor Constantine VII
Capital: Constantinople
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Greco-Roman

-From the writings of the historian Regulus (590-655):

--IN THE REIGN OF SAINT JUSTINIAN THE GREAT: The reign of Justinian I saw the reclamation of Pannonia and its subsequent delegation to the holds of his general Belisarius. Belisarius took sovereignty as Rex Pannoniae and oversaw the creation of a humble military power on the edges of Slavic lands. In his time, Justinian competently evaded conflict with the Sassanids, but in the end was subject to a slew of invasions by the King Kavadh of Persia. Upon the death of the King Kavadh, his successor, the King Khosrau, took a civilized and intelligent hand and forged peace with Justinian. Justinian built many great monuments and constructs during his reign, including the jewel of our city, Hagia Sophia. It was under the reign of Justinian that the children of the Empire were compelled to seek education in schools built and managed by the government. These schools were in their greatest numbers in and around the mother city, but often education was still deferred to local forms of teaching when one traveled to more obscure corners of the Empire. After surviving a revolt during his reign, Justinian established offices through which grievances could be voiced to the Emperor and his court.

--IN THE REIGN OF JUSTIN THE HERETIC: It was so far that the Byzantines were confident in God's intentions that they dared not to venture into the deserts of Mesopotamia to conquer the Persians. Though the mad king Khosrau II sought to conquer Roman lands, his armies were repelled several times at the cities of Dara and Philadelphia. Still, they dared not cross the Euphrates for what they had done so far had pleased God and they thought it best not to offend their jealous and angry God's sensibilities any further. However, the mid-decade of years 500, he graced the world with an apocalyptic blight from which many thought the empire would never recover. Those unfortunate sinners who were purged by the disease piled by the thousands. Even in God's capital, the bodies were so prevalent that the residents were forced to pave the fields with their bones. In its wake, only the faithful and scrupulous remained untouched. When the plague died down, many Romans were left asking why God had brought such fury over his people. Some pointed to the sinful excesses of their emperors, some to the overall population's sinful nature. The Emperor Justin (III) the Heretic, however, blamed the icons, and sought to dismantle them from the churches and monasteries of Constantinopolis. Though many heretics, criminals, and corrupt clergymen flocked to his side, doubtless to save their own skins and purses, the people of Constantinopolis reviled at these injustices and the Emperor could not muster so many heretically-minded soldiers as to drown out the cries of the men and women in the streets. It is thus that, during a magnificent parade, the crowds turned on their criminal Emperor and chanted for his death. The heretical soldiers and supporters of the Emperor, telling of their unloyal and greedy nature, stood aside and allowed the crowd to seize Justin and beat him with mallets, shovels, and rocks until his face was scraped from his head and he succumbed to his injuries. It was only after Justin the Heretic's head had been paraded through every street in Constantinople and brought up and down the Hippodrome that the Vasilefs Tiberius (II) brought the crowds to heel and took the throne. It was upon his ascension that he promised to return the icons to the mother city, and so the crowds yielded to him.

--IN THE REIGN OF TIBERIUS CONSTANTINUS: Tiberius sought to return the values of good morality to the Empire, and did so with a series of laws which defined moral behavior throughout the Empire - though many in the provinces had little interest in listening to these demands. Tiberius compelled that Christians yield to the customs of the Jews and wash and clean themselves properly - many reviled this demand as an attempt to appease the malicious peoples in the East, who felt as though they had a right to enter revolt upon smallest slights. It cannot be discounted, however, that the writings of Baebius and Tiberius Sotericus describe the mannerisms of Tiberius as especially Jew-like. It should come as no surprise then that the Vasilefs would seek to force these policies upon his Christian subjects, perhaps even to tempt the Lord into smiting them for their infidelity. These accusations are only given further credence by his reluctance to stop the Samaritans and Jews from committing usury - indeed, he even encouraged these vile bankers to travel through the Empire freely to coax coin from the purses of the Empire's citizens, and often into the purse of the Vasilefs and his court. However the case may be, Tiberius's other contributions to the state of our Empire must not be written off in face of his shortcomings - it was in his reign that the vile corruption in the military was done a fatal blow. Tiberius markedly changed the army in that an affiliation by blood would not longer suffice to acquire a command or commendable position of rank. Rather, one was compelled to serve faithfully and to his best ability, and thus would be judged through his abilities as a soldier, rather than his coin or blood. It cannot be said surely what these decrees by the Vasilefs changed in his time, but in respect to the state of the military now, it is self-evident that the Vasilefs Tiberius can be credited.

--IN THE REIGN OF MAURICIUS THE GENERAL: The Vasilefs Maricius is indeed one of the most competent and great rulers of his time, and can be credited for the great finesse and skill with which he handled the aggressions of the Persians and the barbarians beyond the Danube river. Indeed, Mauricius matched any general of his time in his intelligence and tactical knowledge, for his writings in the Strategikon now form the basis of any good general's battlefield strategy.

--IN THE REIGN OF HERACLIUS THE ARMENIAN: Though it cannot be confidently blamed upon the Vasilefs, the reign of Heraclius the Armenian saw God's displeasure with the Romans manifest in the form of the Saracens, who came pouring furiously out of the southern deserts. Heraclius quite tactfully held back the Saracens but could not extend a hand to the Sassanians, who promptly collapsed under the pressure of their own tactical blunders. It cannot be disputed that the Persians hosted a magnificent and rich civilization, but the Saracens, who doubtless were compelled northwards by none other than the Lord himself, bested the Persians in battle and crippled their great empire. Furious and bent on destruction, the Saracens rendered Ctesiphon a ruin and founded their own city nearby, from which they would rule. The Persians were driven back into their homelands past the mountains, and compelled to become tributaries to the Saracens and their growing empire. Though no one mourned for the Persians, a sort of loss was felt throughout the Empire. Though they often were ruled by mad and power-hungry kings, the Persians were the greatest of the civilized peoples second only to the Romans themselves, and to see civilized kingdoms bend knee to barbarians was nothing less than a tragedy. The Vasilefs Heraclius would not bend knee to the Saracens, however, and after a terrible defeat at Damascus and Philadelphia, regathered his forces and decisively defeated the Saracens several times at Jerusalem and the hills of Hieromyax. For several decades, the Saracens would not march an army on Romania, and Heraclius retired to Constantinopolis in order to oversee the development of the civic empire. In his remaining rule, Heraclius took many artists, mathematicians, alchemists, and philosophers under the patronage of his court. The emperors after him would follow his example in this regard.

-From the writings of historian Flavius Alypius (780-present):

--IN THE REIGN OF THEODESIOS (III) THE MERCIFUL: A rather unremarkable but pleasingly average Vasilefs - a remarkably Christian man who we know was respected by the people for the amnesty he offered to his predecessors - even in absence of great feats, such a man can be commended for his moral character, and the Vasilefs Theodosios is, by some measures, without compare. A great naval raid on Rhodes occurred during the reign of Theodosios, which was repelled when the thromons unleashed liquid fire upon the Saracen vessels. The Saracens screamed and cried as their ships were swallowed by the ocean, still burning even as they were submerged in the water. Some jumped overboard even before their ships sank, but were agonized to find that the fire could not be snuffed out by the water. Those who survived set sail for the Saracen shores. The Saracens did not dare attack Rhodes again.

--IN THE REIGN OF CONSTANTINE (VII) THE FARMER: The venerable Vasilefs Constantinus prompted many reforms in his time, of particular his concern with the agricultural state of the empire - indeed he compelled farmers to rotate their fields and keep the soil fresh and constructed many water-wheels and irrigation ditches to help support the needs of the farmers.

Griffster26 - Empire of Germania
Leader: Emperor Karl the Great / Kaiser Karl der Große / Imperator Carolus Magnus
Capital: Aachen
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Franconian

-From the writings of historian Flavius Alypius (780-835):

--IN THE REIGN OF CHILDERICUS THE CONQUEROR: In defeating the Saxons and purging the pagans from Saxony, the King Childericus made those who remained the subjects of his own kingdom, and they wearily came to accept this reality. Vanquished from their own lands, the Pagan barbarians of Germania were systematically purged and in their place came Christian duchies and countdoms who pledged themselves to Childericus.

--The Kingdom of Alemannia was brought into the fold after a time of prosperity and good relations. Sotericus gives much praise to the Christian moralities of the Franks during their evolution throughout the centuries, and there is little doubt, despite their vile heresy, that they had not failed to still practice the core values of Christianity as we know it. So too are the Franks loyal to their allies that not a single transgression occurs between the Franks and the Hestians, and they seem to have lived happily in co-existence for many years. The Hestians too seem to have remained content in their relationship with the Franks and their vassals. So confident were the Franks at this time that they sallied forth to invade Gaul, attacking the King of Soissons at a time when his armies were depleted and his state weak. Not unlike the Pagan Saxons, the Franks brought Gaul to slaughter, and here it should be seen that the moral state of the Kingdom declines rapidly. Even so, our Lord seems dissuaded not from their slaughter of their fellow Christian and Gaul is quite decisively defeated several times in a row. Upon hearing word that an army had arrived to besiege Soissons, the King went on to commit the most cowardly and sinful act of suicide. His head was paraded around the streets and the Frankish banners were raised over much of Gaul, for there was a lack of men to claim the throne and a lack of armies to back up this claim, much-less fight the triumphant and momentous Franks. So great was their hunger for holds that the Frankish generals did not even stop to tear down the old banners in Soissons before they set off to fight the Visigothi in the South.

--The Visigoths were verily as unprepared for the Frankish attack as the Gauls who they had been fighting for quite some time. Though the Visigoths were indeed fierce and effective warriors, their soldiers were tired from fighting and thus were driven back over the Pyrenees from which they came, leaving their holds, weapons, armor, and ships for the Franks to enjoy.

--It should be noted for the understanding of how the current state came to be, that over some time, the Frankish Kings began more and more to speak Germanic and then so too did their subjects. While Frankish and those Gallic accents often so spoken in villages and among the peasants remained, the Germanic language had indeed become the language of the enriched and wealthy among the holds of the Franks, and so as the lords of Constantinople once spoke Latin and now speak Greek, the Franks too once spoke Frankish and now speak the German Franconian. It is thus that the Franks claim to be a German kingdom.

--IN THE REIGN OF CAROLUS MAGNUS: In the early reign of the King Carolus of the Franks, the invasion of the Lombards was invited by the Pope Adrian, and Carolus happily obliged the pope, being a Christian of high moral character. He took his army into Italy and defeated the Lombards, bringing the Northern Italian holds under the grasp of the Franks. However, this power seemed to have quickly gone to his head as he declared an empire in Germania and had himself crowned Emperor in the year of our Lord 800.

EuSKalduna - Despotate of Africa
Governing Body: The Senate of Carthage
Capital: Carthago
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Carthaginian

-From the writings of the historian Regulus (590-655):

--The Carthaginians find their origins in a Vandalic Kingdom which came to Zeugitana within the fifth century of our Lord and settled the lands previously inhabited by Romans and the Puniki before them. Seemingly in an emulation of great civilizations of the past, the Vandal Kings slowly lost their grip and power was returned to a council, which was in their time called the Senate in remembrance of the Roman Senate. Indeed, they sought to emulate the successes of the civilizations from which they derived their new values and homes and the Carthaginians discovered a masterful use of the sail. It is by no accident that they have managed to hold so many lands separated great distances by water, and by all accounts no ship can sail past Sicily without the permission of a Carthaginian admiral. Such great sailors they are that the Carthaginians have caused many armies to drown in the Mediterranean sea. The Lombard admiral Faroald set sail for Sicily with an army of no less than ten thousand men, but never arrived as their Carthaginian adversaries attacked them with large and powerful warships, causing the ships to break and splinter and the men to drown. This story has been retold many times and the Carthaginians have quite a reputation for sinking seaborne armies. Indeed not only are their sailors quite skilled in the art of sailing and naval combat, but their numbers in both hands and ships are unmatched, second only to the mighty fleets protecting the harbors of Constantinopolis. Still, it is said that a Carthaginian Eight may be built in half the time of a thromon bearing liquid fire. The Carthaginians are mighty traders and supply many goods to the empire by way of the Mediterranean routes, though their taxes are harsh and quite many, and so many merchants prefer to trade in Sicily where the burden of Carthaginian taxation may be potentially avoided.

-From the writings of historian Flavius Alypius (780-835):

--It is perhaps a consequence of their rather diplomatic nature and their affinity for the sea that the Carthaginians saw many defeats against the Saracens in the decades past. Their lands have been stripped away from them and, though by accounts they are indeed still very strong, the Carthaginians are but a siege away from becoming quite an irrelevancy to write of in chronicling the histories. The Saracens are but a step away from their gates in every corner of their empire, and so the Carthaginians must find their 'Hannibal' if they wish to exist any further.

Shisno - Galantia, Kingdom of the Gaels
Leader: King Sheasnec III
Capital: Duiblinn
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Irish

-From the writings of historian Cosconius (768-present):

--Much can be said of the barbarian neighbors of the Brittanians and it is often through this lense of barbarism that many of my contemporaries seem to judge the Gaelic peoples. It must be clarified now - though they are barbarian by nature, it is quite clear that the Romanizing influence of the Britons has had a profound influence on the civilizedness of Albion and Hibernia as a whole. Indeed, Sheasnec the Vanquisher was only the first among many Irish kings to grasp the whole of that island in his hands. I feel as though I am compelled to levy criticism against the recordings of Eudomius, for he finds himself excessively occupied with the implications of the Gaels' status as barbarians. It is simply a matter of misinformation, for the Irish have long since renounced their paganism and even the heretical teachings of Pelagius - to call our fellow Christians in Galantia as barbarians is to insult our own civility, for an Italian living now in the holds of our Lord Carolus Magnus would not feel alien in a place such as Duiblinn. The lands of Galantia host a great deal of roads and signs to point one's way, not a great deal different to those we take when visiting Venezia or Genoa. The Kings of Galantia prefer also to rule not only by the grace of God, but by Roman laws, and so it cannot be argued by any measure that the Galantian lands can be compared to the Godless lands far beyond the Danube, from which only Huns and Scythians come.

--It is despite the recent phenomenon of Northern peoples crossing South that the Galantian kings prevail, and this can be credited to the robust armies that the Irish are able to field. The Gaelic people are exceptionally loyal and perhaps quite bloodthirsty - when their lords call for war, a great many of their subjects willingly volunteer for the fight, though they are given quite a thorough preparation for the battles ahead, even in their great number.

Damian0358 - Kingdom of Brittania
Leader: Brochmael "Emrys" Cerinanus Padullus, Rex (altissimus) Brittaniae, Dominus Catuvellaunorum, Magister Peditum
Capital: Camulodunum (legislative), Corinium (administrative)
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Brittanian

-From the writings of historian Cosconius (768-present):

--The origins of the Brittanian kingdom can be traced to a confederation of various Roman urbes which erupted from the invasion of Northern barbarians - only after the barbarian invaders had been driven back did the many lords and villages agree to form a greater kingdom, and so the grand kingdom of Britannia was born, its first king Sabas Caledinus Cadullus Primus, heir of Caledinus the Uniter.

--It is perhaps the confirmation of truly Roman descent that the Brittanians have made quite a name for themselves - their fighting men are indeed some of the best and most loyal known, while their ships sail to the furthest reaches of the seas, trading valuables and bringing much wealth and prosperity to the holds of the Britons. Their holds stretch from the shores of Britannia Campestris to the icy watches atop the walls of Antoninus, a vast stretch of land continuous from one end to the next, and dotted by many expansive urbes. Such is the reputation of the Brittanians that the Emperor Constantinus prefers to address the lord of the Brittanian holds as "Rex altissimus Brittaniae" and they are surely respected even by the Pagans in Angland, whose various Houses had waged war against the Brittanians for the holds of Albion.

--It is then not such a surprise to see that such a rich and prosperous land is to be fought over by its own people. Unlike the succession of the office in Constantinopolis, the Brittanians do not so much value a dynastic means of succession that it would prevent any other man from taking the crown as high king - perhaps the ultimate form of legitimacy that a Brittanian king could hope to have is the approval of the Lord in battle, and blood ties to the old Houses of Britannia. To fully understand how there is indeed doubt among the kingdoms of whether Emrys Padullus or Lucius Marcellus are rightful claimants to the high throne in Camulodunum. Indeed, supporters of either man can not so surely determine whether one or the other is truly entitled to the throne - the Lord of Cadvalluno, Emrys the Corinian, claims his dynasty from the bloodline of Caledinus the Uniter, while the Lord of Dumnonia, Lucius Marcellus, claims blood ties with the old lords of the South, as well the House Eblani. While the authenticity of these blood claims on either side are surely dubious due to passage of time, one cannot ignore the power these names wield in the eyes of the Brittanian lords and their subjects. Such is the influence of these names alone that the lords of Brittania have fractured along their lines - the slighted Houses of the South have pledged unwavering support for the Lord Ser Lucius Elbanus Marcellus, while the lords of the North have pledged to march under the banner of Lord Ser Brochmael Cerinanus Padullus. Thus, the men of the Legions II Brittanica and XX Victrix hail Emrys as their High King and the Legions IX Manicarum and XIV Gemina hail Marcellus as theirs. However, these participators do not alone influence the progress of this dual succession, as the Kingdoms of Linda and Northsax and quite especially the Kingdom of Galantia all appear keen to influence the outcome of conflict among the lords of Brittania. It is due to these factors and those which only the Lord may yet know of that we cannot accurately predict what may come of the war in Albion, but the defeat of the Legion II Brittanica by the hand of the Legion XIV Gemina in Corinium is quite a blow to the Lord Emrys, and perhaps an omen of things to come.

Broguts - Kingdom of Angland
Leader: King Sceldwea Sceafsen Wuffing
Capital: Dankirke
Primary Religion: Germanic Paganism
Culture: Anglo-Jutish

-From the writings of historian Eudomius (771-present):

--Perhaps the greatest oddity of Germania are the pagan Anglish of whom some in the south are descended from migrators from the Saxon lands and most elsewhere from invaders who sought homes elsewhere. Not only are the Anglish markedly civilized for a barbarian, pagan people but they are quite zealous in their heresy that many could not be turned to light by even the tip of a sword - of course, no one would dare try to compel them with force for they are a ferocious and strong people who have yet to be bested in battle by even the armies of the German King Carolus, whose holds rival the expansive empire of the Saracens in the East. Oddly blessed they are that no Christian army could rightly defeat them in battle that some have come to believe the Lord has upheld them to test our moral character - one would stand to gain much more from allowing the Anglish to revel in their ignorance while the gentle hand of the missionaries attempt to coax them from the darkness, than to attempt to wash away that darkness with fire. It would seem that the barbarian Anglish only become more convinced of their mistruths when they are brought to the sword, and no iron-handed bishop has succeeded in acquiring repentance by this means. The question of the Anglish is one that many men of of the cross are unsure how to answer, but it has been shown thus-far that our most merciful Lord is keen to see them enter the fold at their own pace.

Pezgod1 - Kingdom of Hestia
Leader: King Cedrick Hestian
Capital: Haimothli
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Hestian

-From the writings of historian Cosconius (768-present):

--It is quite peculiar what became of the Gepid Germans after their devastating failure to ravage Italy in the 5th century of our Lord. It would seem that with the humiliation of defeat by their German brethren they were driven from the Mediterranean and to the furthest reaches of the Northern lands, where they could no longer be pestered by their enemies. In fact, the Gepids grew rather tired of their nomadic ways and took to settling down among the barbarian tribes of the Northern coasts, which they conquered and made to be civilized like they now were. Perhaps it was by the grace of the Trinity - a second chance that they were given that they flourished and carved out such a kingdom. Regardless, they made quite a land for themselves. However, it would be improper now to call them Germans or Gepids for they have allowed the former barbaric peoples to become one with them - now most would call them Hestians, and they too have took to using this name for themselves. Doubly so is it improper to simply call them Germans as they speak many languages - there exists a lexicon, a copy of which may be found in Alexandria, Constantinopolis and sometimes Antioch, that records these many accents, and having looked through this scripture personally, I am able to attest that there are quite a large number of languages spoken in the Kingdom of the Hestians. The Hestians have quite an affinity for sailing, as they regularly sow their lands with forests and then promptly cut them down to build their boats - their navy is reputed to be quite large and formidable, though they have no real match (as they are allies to the German King Carolus, who commands a rather large fleet) to sail against save for the Varangians hailing from the lands beyond Hestia. The Varangians have become quite a threat to the Hestians, who not long ago suffered several defeats against them in old Hestia. Their plight is two-fold as the pagans from beyond the Eastern reach also contend for the Hestians' holds, and it would would appear that the Hestians are severely weak in the East (though this is not to be misunderstood as overall weakness, for it is known they command a well-disciplined army which protects their West), where many would not even call themselves Hestians, but Balts and Estonians and Slavs and Varangians. To cover such events as they unfold would be a daunting and fatigue-inducing endeavor as those Eastern lands which the Hestians can only claim to hold are constantly changing hands. Even if the likes of us were to undergo such a feat, such is the distance and difficulty in acquiring information that it often cannot be determined what has happened and who has ruled.

Turn VI: 800 to 850 AD

Ottoman Music - Sufi islamic Song (الدولة العثمانية) Nasheed Ilahi

Turn music

Political map of Turn VI

Map of Albion during Turn VI

Post link: https://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1530283&p=51251742&viewfull=1#post51251742

Subtitle - اتَّكَلْنا منه على خُصٍّ الاتحاد قوة

Book I: The Rite of Our People

Griffster26 - Kingdom of Low Germania
Leader: King Lothar I
Capital: Aachen
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Franconian

-As the years go on, the Germanic aspects of the Franconian language are emphasized, superseding the Latin influence of the Gallo-Romans, whilst making Franconian the official language of the Empire and the literal 'lingua franca' of Western Europe, superseding Latin itself.
-To commemorate the ongoing alliance between the Empire of Germania and the Kingdom of Hestia, bi-annual celebrations were held in the capital to the benefit of the Hestian King and his entourage. This routine continues through the ages.
-Charlemagne crowned his only surviving legitimate son, Louis the Pious, as co-emperor, so that he may concentrate on his own personal plans more. Louis, in the meantime, returned to Aquitaine and handled the aspects of the Empire which his father had passed onto him, such as religious affairs.
-A large "loan" of gold was given to the supporters of the Brittanian King-claimant, Emrys. The size of the payment was alleged to fifteen-hundred or more pounds of Roman nomismata.
-In an attempt to prevent any future hostilities, the Emperor Charlemagne hosted the elite of Benevento and establishes some amicable relations between the Empire and its neighbor to the South.
-Seeing the plight of his African friends, Charlemagne dispatches a sizable Germanian army down the Italian peninsula by sea, landing at Sicilia to help retake the island from the Saracen invaders... [continued in Book II]
-In addition, the Emperor orders men to cross the Channel and assist in helping Emrys take the throne of Brittania. However, this move provs to be highly unpopular with the people of Brittania, and the expedition is cut short as both the North and South begin to turn their armies against the Germanians. Upon hearing this news, Charlemagne is furious with Emrys, who answered his fury by explaining that the people had not gotten over the Germanic invasions of Albion, baring a strong resentment towards Germanics. Emrys apologizes immensely for the inconvenience.
-Little else goes on except the usual day-to-day as the years move on. However, these middle years would also serve as the buildup to a climax in the mid-century which would see the rite of the Franconian people exercised. The Empire as a singular unit was not meant to last - on his deathbed, Charlemange warned his son Louis about this fate, and pleaded that he ensure it doesn't divide, for it would only lead to the Empire's fall.
-Louis, now the Emperor fully, knew his time on the throne would be short and attempted to choose a single heir for his throne, but his sons, three of them, saw through this violation of the Frankish rite of inheritance. It was only proper to divide the realms among the ailing Emperor's sons. Lothar eventually took throne as 'Emperor' and assigned his dear brothers as dukes and lords, but they were unhappy with this outcome - it was unbroken Frankish TRADITION that the holds be divided equally. A bloody civil conflict broke out, and eventually Lothar was forced to concede to his brothers their shares of the Carolingian Empire of Germania. The Eastern lords joined High Germania (or East Germania) while the lords of Italia and the Apennines joined Middle Germania. The lords of the North-West and Frankia joined Lothar's Low Germania (or West Germania). Austrasia was divided into two lordships - the Duchy of Austrasia and the Duchy of Paris. The three brothers affirmed that Germania was still one empire, but no one but the Lord could know for how long this would remain so.

Book II: The Black Crescent

EuSKalduna - Despotate of Africa
Governing Body: The Senate of Carthage
Capital: Carthago
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Carthaginian

-From the writings of chronicler Fierro Colasanto:

--Defeated; The armies of the Saracens marched triumphantly across Roman Africa, this cursed land which the Lord hath forsaken by the edge of a million scimitars. Brought to its knees, the once-prosperous and untouchable Carthago now eagerly discussed its capitulation from within the Senate chamber. The Chi-Rho was dropped to the dirt, buried in the fields and forgotten as a new shadow crept over the city. Over the horizon peaked the crescent of the Khilafa. That which was the house of Christendom would now be the den of Islam.

--Across the sea, the Emir sat comfortably atop his throne, but an ominous breeze blew through his court as he counted down his last moments and recounted the moments he had lived in times past. And as the crescent moon rose over Carthage, the banners of the Emirate rapidly descended from their perches atop the cathedrals and palaces of Iberia, to be replaced by the sigil of the conqueror: the Black Crescent. Thousands rose up to pick the Emirate apart piece by piece - upon their chests they painted the chi-rho, a standard of those willing to fight for Rome and all that it meant. Undoubtedly spirits could only be helped by the vast stocks of silver at their backs, but every man knew what he was truly fighting for - for Carthage, and therefore Christendom itself! Under the generalship of Skalder the Pious, the good men of Carthago Nova led the republic's Iberian half to great victory against the fledgling Emirate, so-long now cut off from its mother's bosom, a mother which itself could not bring itself to spare any swords for the Emir's interests. Thousands of bloodied Christians cried and cheered as the walls of Corduba crumbled into dust, stirred into a vicious storm by the incessant stamping of boots. Last to fall was the citadel of the Emir, who sat lost in prayer as he awaited his fate. No amount of praying would save the Emirate, and only due to the Lord's merciful nature did the Emir manage to escape across the sea and regroup with the mother empire's armies.

--The Iberian lands were back in the hands of God's children, but the job was not yet done - Skalder would not be able to live with himself if he stood by as the Saracens pillaged God's jewel on the sea. Carthago Nova could take care of itself, now that it was in good hands. As for him, he took his men and set sail for Carthage.

--Upon his arrival to the shores of Africa, Skalder found that the situation was not as grim as he had initially thought - empowered by his victories in Hispania, the populace and government of Carthago Prima had hunkered down and prepared to fight out the long fight. As he made his way east with his army of Zealots, Skalder was met by open gates and cheering crowds. Wherever his army went, the Saracens quickly packed up and left.

--These retreats weren't for nought, however, as when Skalder's army arrived outside of Carthago, he realized the Saracens had concentrated their power into a central force, one which dwarfed anything the Carthaginians could hope to field. With his silver tongue and gilded heart, Skalder bolstered the ranks of his men with mercenaries and volunteers from the local lands. Prepared to hold Carthago's core province at any cost, he built up defenses and prepared to deflect any attacks.

--A glorious mission to free the Christian lands from Saracen tyranny soon devolved back into the tiring slog of the yesteryears as Skalder's forces braced against Saracen raids and were whittled down. Without a means to a decisive victory in battle, the Carthaginians were only delaying their inevitable death. A change in the climate of the war only came when news of Sicilia's liberation from the Saracens came to Carthago. Not only were additional Romans now on their way to reinforce Skalder, but a Germanian army of great size was coming not far behind. When the Germanian and Sicilian men arrived at Carthage, Skalder knew he was ready to take on the Saracens. Leading a combined force of untold proportions, he faced the Saracen general in charge of the African invasion fifty miles outside of Carthago and claimed a great victory for the Despotate. Their spirit broken, the Saracen footmen were sent running for the hills and the invasion of Carthage was virtually shut down. Skalder's well-seasoned men fought fiercely and with great hatred for the vile Saracens, scoring victory after victory and reclaiming Carthage for the Christians and for the Lord. When he returned to Carthage, he was hailed as a hero by the people and by the senate - it is said that upon his arrival to the citadel, the senate (and indeed, his own men) begged fervently of him that he accept the title and office of "consul," in traditional Roman fashion. Skalder, however, in a display of his sheer godliness, refused their declaration and said: "My brothers, my place is not here upon the hills or within the senate chambers, for I have no taste for luxurious decadence nor the corrupting temptations of power - my place is in service to God and my people, with the martyrs, those pious zealots with whom I fought alongside all these years, who now have given nothing less than their lives to preserve God's domains. My place is in the house of war, for faith in peace cannot be so long as the devil at our doorstep yearns to destroy us."

--It is from there that Skalder exited the Senate chambers, forever earning his colloquial title, "Skalder the Pious." In June of the year of our lord 849, Skalder passed peacefully to the Heavens above as he was resting in a Carthaginian marching camp. Upon hearing the news of his passing, all twenty-thousand of his fighting men gathered in formation and stood solemn, saluting the heavens from dawn to dusk. His body was later laid to rest in the cathedral of Carthago Nova, a funeral which filled the church and its grounds with thousands, though many more stood present in spirit as the Roman world mourned the loss of an almost saint-like figure. Indeed, upon the news of Skalder's death, the Pope declared that he be made a saint, and so another righteous and pious man passed from this life to the next, to be remembered for all eternity.

Book III: The Lion, The Eagle, and The Stallion

Native Hunter - Roman Empire
Leader: Emperor Constantine VIII
Capital: Constantinople
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Greco-Roman

-From the writings of chronicler Fierro Colasanto:

--Growing quite tired of the Saracens' transgressions against the holds of the Lord, the Emperor was keen to fashion together a navy which could reasonably hope to retake the island of Crete. Though many Christian brothers remained hostage under the rule of an illegitimate, Islamic governor, they had little reason to complain about the way the Emir ran things - it would rest solely on the shoulders of Constantine to wrest the island from the Saracens' grip. Though he had tried before to drive the Saracens from Crete, the Emperor's efforts had been spoiled by numerous problems existent in his Byzantine system - namely a shortage of experienced fighting men to send across the sea, for though the field armies constituted a great number of soldiers, few of them were in a position to leave their garrisons, lest Constantinople's many enemies saw weakness on the borders (and those who fielded the borders knew well that they were under-staffed as it was, for the Bulgarians had made further gains South in the following decades and the Levant still suffered from seasonal raids - all field armies now lacked several hundred good men who had set sail for Sicily on the Emperor's orders, and this terrified some of the prospect that they might be outnumbered now).

--Constantine submitted to the virtue of patience and ordered that a new, grand fleet be commissioned. Doubly so he ordered the inclusion of the ship-deck marine squadrons as part of a separate force to the naval fleets. He bestowed upon them special benefits and salaries, which elevated their job to one of significant desirability over the common soldier. Aside from affording the Marines plenty of nomismata to keep them comfortable, the Emperor mandated that they be rigorously trained, and so it took quite a few years in addition to building the ships to make them ready for the invasion of Crete. But eventually, the time came to strike upon the Saracens, and Constantine sent his new fleet to do his bidding. To his delight, the Emir of Crete was easily driven off by the Marines' surprise attack, who proved to be able shock troopers in assistance to lesser forces. After holding a grand ceremony in honor of his marines and his own victory, Constantine decided to retain this new division of the military in perpetuum.

--Concerned about the implications of an even larger independent branch of military, however, Constantine sought to create yet another independent branch of military - this time, they would have de facto privilege to overthrow him whenever they want (a most wise decision). Thus, the Hestian Guard was created over the course of five decades. Mercenaries from the Kingdom of Hestia were collected and entered into the imperial roster as palace guards and the new household division soon became a military unit staffed almost solely by foreign Hestian mercenaries under direct command of the Emperor. Successors of Constatine the Eighth would continue this trend.

--With his external needs satisfied, the Emperor looked toward inwards - of the things he aspired greatly to be, he wanted like no other to be remembered as a magnificent, classically-inspired vasilefs. He embarked on a journey to tour the Empire, hitting every major urban center and sometimes rural areas (with much awe from those graced by his likeness). The purpose of this tour was two-fold: the people got to see their Emperor and the Emperor got to see his people - their infrastructure, governance, and attitudes specifically. While he was away visiting the far reaches of the Empire, the vasilefs made sure that his plans for an expanded bureaucracy and merchant diaspora came to fruition. He personally patronized the construction of government buildings and businesses wherever he went, assuring that his various bureaus would dig their roots deep into even the most isolated places. The vasilefs soon became enchanted with how the provincials treated him almost like a god - a stark contrast from the rudimentary, everyday "respect" he received in Constantinople, where the citizens dealt with the vasilefs everyday and had not even the slightest notion that he was in any way divine. Indeed, the emperor enjoyed his tour of the provinces so much that upon news that the tour had concluded, he shed tears of sorrow and extended the tour an additional three months. Upon returning the Constantinople, the emperor held an excessive week of partying and celebration, as well as extravagant games at the Hippodrome. It was his sheer soar in popularity following this tour that his successors would all attempt to emulate him - every emperor after Constantine the Eighth sought to tour the empire every five years, upon recommendation by Constantine himself through his writings.

Jsoldier - Kingdom of Armenia
Leader: King Ashot I
Capital: Ani
Primary Religion: Armenian Christianity
Culture: Armenian

-When the young Ashot became lord of the Armenian kingdom in the year of the Lord 845, he was but a young man. Yet, his ambition for his kingdom was boundless. Indeed, his young age may have been what caused his enemies external and internal to underestimate him, and the fulfillment of his potential what made his longevity. Making the new court in the double-walled city of Ani, his first order of business was to send emissaries to the courts in Constantinople and Baghdad, re-affirming Armenia's place as a neutral, independent kingdom in the midst of two empires. His efforts to assert Armenia's independence were successful enough, perhaps due to brewing conflicts in the hills of Syria which prevented either side from taking any decisive action against the king and his fledgling court.
-However the case may be, Ashot would not sit by on hopes that either empire would not march on him. With a royal decree, he raised a sizable number of fighters to come to his aide and secure the mountain fortresses of Armenia. He oversaw the garrison of most of Armenia's abandoned forts, and blazed trails through which caravans could come to trade between the Caliphate and Empire. Armenia saw a surprising increase in trade coming through its settlements in the years after Ashot's ascension, and the young king can be duly credited for facilitating this growth.
-A side effect of securing Armenia's mountain holds was the reclaiming of iron mines within the country - upon hearing of this development, Ashot put many men to work mining iron ore, and then had this ore sold to blacksmiths to make weapons for his men.
-The half-turn of the century ended with decent prospects for the kingdom - Ashot, only five years into his reign, had made major moves in revitalizing Armenia, and many were hopeful that their young king would lead to the Christian kingdom's greatness.

Book IV: An Island Eternal

Damian0358 - Kingdom of Brittania
Leader: Brochmael "Emrys" Cerinanus Padullus, Rex (altissimus) Brittaniae, Dominus Catuvellaunorum, Magister Peditum
Capital: Camulodunon (legislative), Cironion (administrative)
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Brittanian

-From the writings of an unknown author:

--The morning sun rose in the sky, obscured by a bleak ocean of clouds. Birds chirped, interspersed by the stamping of boots. Off the leaves dripped the morning dew, infused with drawn blood. In the fields, corpses piled like castle walls, the torn and bloodied standards of the slain enemy dotting the battlefield, standing crooked in the muddy ground and through the rotting bodies of young Brittanian men. The prevailing faction's men stepped over and on the bodies, moving along their way. Some sifted through the corpses for valuables, others prayed for their souls, while most regarded them with little more care than for grass on the valley floor. Fifty years of bloody, destructive civil war and it was finally over.

--"Long live the High King Emrys!" his dome-helmeted soldiers chanted from their ranks. An old and brittle man by now, Emrys had gained his victory after fifty long years at war. Brittania was in virtual ruin, a mere shadow of its former self but at last united as one whole. Their King had done his part, setting off the first domino in what he hoped would be a long line of Brittanian 'High Kings', ruling over all of Brittania.

--What remained of the Legions was Legio II Brittanica, which had shrunken considerably and promptly absorbed its sister legion during the war. The Legions of the Southern Houses were decimated, and their names banned, standards and legacies struck from the histories. Their Aquilas were melted down to form the Crown and Staff of the High King.

--As the dust settled, many were unsure of what would happen now. The soldiers had claimed their loot and their victory, and Emrys had claimed his crown, but they now stood at the rock bottom, looking up among giants. T'was a dangerous time to be weak among wolves.

Book V: A Shore of Spears

Pezgod1 - Kingdom of Hestia
Leader: King Cedrick Hestian
Capital: Haimothli
Primary Religion: Chalcedonian Christianity
Culture: Hestian

"You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you." ~ Unknown

-From the writings of an unknown author:

--A row of spearheads glistened in the bleak day as the waters of the shore rolled gently up over the sand. A cough here, a fidget there. Hestian soldiers stood at the ready, arranged in rows and columns all along the beach. Interspersed between them were ballistas and small catapults, creaking with every gust of the wind as they stood wound and ready to fire. A graceful mist blew over the soldiers' faces as they stood at attention. A Hestian commander stood at the head of his formation, looking out and seeing what they all saw. Warships rode quietly along the waves, their sails fluttering in the crisp wind. They made headway towards the shores.

--A gust of wind. A clash of steel. The screaming and frenzy of battle. For the average soldier, the fight was blinding, loud, enclosed. It was chaos. Blood painted the sands red, streaking across the beach as the rolling waves washed up and erased the crimson mosaic. Lives ended in a split second, an indescribable and chaotic affair for the victims. Some went with utter surprise, slain before they had even realized their time had come. Others suffered and made peace. Some simply laid strewn across the beach, praying desperately that the reaper take his due. Some would succumb later, after much pain and suffering. Some would go on to become crippled and lame, viewed by the people they fought for as little better than the Varangians storming their shores. This was the common state of affairs for the Hestian soldier of the Baltic provinces, and many more battles would follow.

--Conflict takes a toll on even the strongest men. In war, there comes a time where one can no longer afford the cost of victory, even in absence of defeat. Gradually, the Baltics faded from Hestian maps, and from the memories of the Hestian people. The cost of victory was high, and no longer could the King provide the luxury of protection to the East. The Varangians would not surrender nor cease their attacks, and so nothing could be done but to brace against further victories...

--War with the Varangians became status quo, and so the making of war and the requisites for it pervaded the affairs of the royal court. War, too, pervaded the consciousness of the common folk, and they became disillusioned with the coasts - what once was an artery into the heart of Anglo-Brittanian trade was cut off by the advent of the Varangian people. The beaches and waters became battlegrounds. Many people lost everything they had to raids, and many others fled for fear of such a fate. The King, in response to these migrations, opened up a new frontier. Hestians made for the rich and untapped lands to the south, normally occupied by pagan barbarians. Italian and Germanian mercenaries made the way, and soon Hestia would name three new provinces.

--The production of resources in the North had been dropping as the raids continued over the years, and the time had come when the only resource remaining in the North would be veteran soldiers. There were many with little to do following their end of service. With discontent growing in the North and droves of experienced, bored men standing around with no one to fight, the King decided to act before matters got out of hand.

--His plan was two fold; firstly, the King would provide a solution to the Crown's hollow purse, which grew more sparse by the day. Secondly, the King could gainfully occupy the Hestian veterans, thus preventing their inevitable pillage and banditry, by way of completely removing them from the borders of the Kingdom. It is thus that the King implemented a mercenary system by which able men could work under arms of foreign courts for good pay. The plunder of the countryside was reduced dramatically, and the peasants were happy for it.

--With the influx of Roman coin, the King was able to sufficiently furnish the defense of Hestia's shores and coastal waters. For now, the beaches were just beaches. Villages lay abandoned and ransacked, ghost towns haunted by their dead and feared by their survivors. In later years, a few began to trickle back into the Northern coasts as raids began to cool in their intensity, but the ever-present, ingrained fear of a Varangian longship on the horizon induced many to think twice about returning to the coasts from whence they came.

Turn VII: 850 to 900 AD

Chant of Benevento - Qui manducaverit

Turn music

Political map of Turn VII

Map of Albion during Turn VII

Religious map of Turn VII
Stripes indicate mixed populations

Map of Turn VII indicating rankings of realms by military manpower

Post link: https://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1530283&p=52444840&viewfull=1#post52444840

A sunny morning in Constantinople. The streets bustle with urban life - pedestrians cram the roadways and side streets of the city, flanked by merchants screaming for their business.

In the palace, the Basileus waved the Arab delegation off. With a courteous bow, Hazim ibn Hedjaz and his retinue departed from the Emperor’s court and took to the streets for continued celebration and furnishment. The chief diplomat of the Caliph Al-Mu'tadid bi-llah had so far spent two weeks in the Romans’ grand capital, guest to lavish celebrations, dinners and races held on his behalf as part of negotiations for a lasting peace between the two great Empires. When the decorated diplomat left the Rumiyyat al-kubra and returned to the new capital of Baghdad to announce the successful forging of a non-aggression pact, he brought with him tales of a city of boundless wealth and splendor, where even the most impecunious peasant adorned himself with robes of silk and the lowliest of footsoldiers bore helms of silver, with precious gems adorning their crests. Suffice to say, Rumania was a land blessed, and the Caliph’s court came awash with gossip and rumoring of every sort.

Particularly nasty among them was the indication by some court notables that the Caliph and his family, for lack of the luxuries brazenly displayed in Constantinople, were on the brink of becoming beggars. Some courtiers, under cover of anonymity, went as far as to claim that this was the reason for which the Caliph made peace with the Empire, and that because of this spineless concession to the infidels he was now due to be replaced by someone of a stronger and more pious stature. The court in Baghdad fell into chaos when the Caliph did little to dispel these rumors, save for gathering his courtiers to announce that the Caliphate was “not bankrupt.” Thankfully, the Caliph’s steward acted diligently to out the perpetrators of these vile rumors, and the court returned to the status quo, save for some backroom floggings. As for the Caliph and his delicate balance of power, he lost nought but his honorable reputation, for despite the outing of their manufacturers, the allegations had done their damage.

Nonetheless, al-Mu’tadid bi-Ilah had no intentions to dwell on the consequences of court intrigue. He had an empire to run, and ambitions to fulfill. The whisperings of some veiled courtesan meant little to a man who intended to one day adorn the corners of the world with his black banner.

To start, he needed to increase the effectiveness of his vassals’ levies. The Abbasid military, while mighty, was in a state of sad affairs, and the emirs and sultans were terribly dependent on levying precious farmhands and herders who would normally furnish their tribute to Mu’tadid. This was all well and good in the context of today’s affairs, but requiring these men to equip themselves put a toll on the ability of vassal tributary levies in terms of equipment quality. Using wealth acquired from a much-hated new vassal tax, Mu’tadid furnished many of his vassals with cheap, but standard arms in exchange for an extension of their obligations to the Caliph. Mu’tadid’s potential levy size swelled, and he achieved the desired effect of seeing men come to him bearing the tools he required to get the job done. This increased homogeneity of equipment allowed the Caliph’s commanders to draw up more complicated and thorough battle plans now that they knew what the composition of their troops would entail.

With this adjustment in the military order made, the Caliph called up his vassals to war. His top general, Abu Rashid, would gather an army to invade Nubia while Mu’tadid himself would see to it that the Sericans did not advance further West. At the head of an army some 22,000 strong, the Caliph arrived later that same year in Sassania to gather levies for a pitched battle against a Tang army West of the Oxus river. The Shahanshah Bahram VI, in addition to his 3,000 man contribution to the Abbasid force, rallied 7,500 soldiers to fight alongside Mu’tadid.

In the following years, the campaigns in Transoxania and Nubia resulted in a drastic expansion of the Caliphate, with Mu’tadid securing his dynasty via the handing out of conquered lands to his vassals. The Tang was especially vanquished, as their army was massacred at the Oxus and a Serican army has not since tread West of the Oxus river.

After securing his position and returning home from years of campaigning, the Caliph set out to do some domestic work. Mu’tadid looked back at Rome with envy, and desired to make a “second Babylon” out of his capital in Baghdad. He commissioned the construction of houses, palaces, bazaars, and even a replica of Babylon’s hanging gardens (which would go on to mark his reign) Construction of schools across the Caliphate was planned, but this “side-project” fell through and was never realized, due to the difficulty of dealing with the Emirs. However, the use of waterwheels in Baghdad’s new constructions led to the diffusion of the waterwheel throughout the Caliphate - an unintended, but much-welcome side effect of Baghdad’s rising prestige as the “capital of the East.”

After years of construction projects and development, Baghdad began to take on a certain splendor, with even Romans commenting on its similarity to Constantinople in terms of its glamour and grandiosity. The Hanging Gardens of Baghdad were especially noted as a rival to the great Hagia Sophia, and a sort of “war of prestige” began to boil between the courts in Constantinople and Baghdad.

Though he was, without a doubt now the undisputed Caliph of the Islamic world, Mu’tadid thought ahead and decided that he should ensure the Abbasid would have staying power of the ages. To do so, the established Al-Majlis al-A'la, the Grand Council, in Baghdad which served as a sort of advisory council to the Caliph - a parliament, which served to give the Abbasid vassals a say in the governance of the great empire, as well as to give them the power to choose the Caliph from amongst themselves - an indispensable tool in the effort to maintain the empire’s solvency amongst rival power groups.

The final years of Caliph Mu’tadid’s reign were marked with the introduction of thorough law codes, further cementing the rule of law over tyranny - even Emirs were now bound by secular laws, something some did not like. Upon Caliph Mu’tadid’s death, the Grand Council convened for its first appointment of a Caliph. Expectedly, they chose the son of the great Caliph, Al-Muktafi.

A sunny morning in Constantinople. The streets bustle with urban life - pedestrians cram the roadways and side streets of the city, flanked by merchants screaming for their business.

In the palace, the Basileus waved the Arab delegation off. With a courteous bow, Hazim ibn Hedjaz and his retinue departed from the Emperor’s court and took to the streets for continued celebration and furnishment. The chief diplomat of the Caliph Al-Mu'tadid bi-llah had so far spent two weeks in the Romans’ grand capital, guest to lavish celebrations, dinners and races held on his behalf as part of negotiations for a lasting peace between the two great Empires. When the diplomat left the city to inform his master of the last few weeks’ events, he left the Emperor Theodosius with a smile on his face, and he left the senate puzzled about the Caliphate’s intentions. A non-aggression pact they would have, and just like that the two empires ceased to raid each other. Anatolia became serene and quiet once more, and the residents of the Roman levant began to rebuild, ever-worried of a Muslim raiding party coming for them. With this somewhat miraculous development came a sense of relief, and for the Emperor, a sense of the freedom to finally live out his ambitions. It was time for Rome to rise.

Here came the time that the Romans would finally attempt to reclaim Moesia from the Bulgarians. A health amount of bribes and secret letters were set aside to court Bulgaria’s enemies, and, when the time came, Rome struck. Theodosius led the main force of Comitatenses himself, a healthy sum of 10,000 well-armed professional troops accompanied by 25,000 poorer soldiers. Avars and Wallachians joined the fight and attacked the Bulgarians from all sides, leading to the eventual capitulation of virtually all lands South of the Danube. The war with Bulgaria was additionally blessed in that it resulted in two developments: First, an Empire wide postal service, with resting stations along the roads to provide fresh horses, food, and water for messengers was developed to provide effective resistance against Bulgarian counter-attacks. Secondly, laminata plate armor saw a revival across professional armies in a modified form. Originally developed to save costs on manufacturing and repairing armor, the segmented cuirass was brought back for that same reason now, leading to significantly reduced equipment costs in furnishing Constantinople’s professional comitatenses. The armor was cheaper such that even some irregular forces could now be found furnished with armor, rather than their usual padded fabric or leather. Despite a botched campaign in Illyria, Theodosius returned home to cheering crowds, and feasts and games were held in abundance to celebrate Constantinople’s fortunes. Coin and wine flowed aplenty, and the grand city was held in awe for weeks.

After the celebrations died down ,Theodosius returned to the imperial palace to get down to important business. Firstly was Theodosius aware of the growing power of his subordinates - the landowning, aristocratic senate owned much of the Empire’s land, and their estates were only growing. To combat their growing eminence, he introduced tax cuts to all freeholding small farmers, allowing them some leeway in their incomes. The rate of freeholder bankruptcy thus was cut by a large share, and the further acquisition of freeman farms by aristocratic estates dropped, though still remained prevalent due to factors of coercion. The senate, of course, was livid and demanded that the Emperor scale back these taxes, claiming that the provinces, and thus the armies were being starved of much-needed coin and supply. Technically they were not wrong, but Theodosius thought this a worthy sacrifice in the face of potential threats to his throne and dynasty. He would keep the aristocracy below him at all costs.

Theodosius, later in his reign oversaw the inclusion of the Empire in the First Council of the Lateran in Roma, and, later, the dispatch of a delegation to the eminent Sericans. Unfortunately for the latter, the Roman delegate later returned, saying he had been turned away from the Oxus by Muslim troops. Merchants in the area had informed him that the Sericans were some time ago vanquished by the Caliphate, and, were they any longer for this world, there was no sign of them to confirm that notion, save for the continued flow of their goods Westward. In the meantime, his delegate informed him of the great transformation of Baghdad, and how it had gained a reputation to rival Constantinople. Theodosius was furious at this notion, and began thinking of how to beat out the Caliph in this new “war of prestige” that had erupted between them.

Theodosius ended the latter half of the century in old age, still atop the throne and wearing the purple.

The latter half of the century began with the formation of the Kingdom of Francia, and with it, the consolidation of power to its vassals. The strongest among them was the Duke of Burgundy, who held disconnect holdings across the Kingdom. Indeed, the Duke’s court in Burgundy in many ways outshone the King’s court in Paris, and Burgundy was now going to walk their walk.

Cue the Short March. The Duke, raising his vassals and allies to war, gathered a force to rival the King’s and marched on Hispania in force, citing claims of continuity on the throne of Hispania.

Dubious as these claims were, the Visigoth Royal Army fell quickly to the Burgundian Short March, and before the Duke had even settled into his new throne the lords of Hispania hailed him King. He moved quickly to install and please his old vassals, and was operating as a King, indeed a rival to Francia itself, by the third quarter of the century.

As a first order of business, the Duke, now King, ordered the furnishing of the landed poor with stimulatory funds and supply to help their farms stay productive. Indeed, the ongoing efforts of the King to help the poor earned him the scornful title of “King of the Wheat” among his vassals, but the poor hailed him as the one true King of Hispania as the Francian King looked on in horror.

He did not, however, forget his lords back home, and invested significant amounts of his new treasury towards the development of the Duchy’s ports, with a great amount of expansion and building of new wharfs occurring in the passing years. Trade increased massively, and with the King’s Carthaginian neighbors especially.

With his vassal rightly pissed about his caring for the poor, and increased contact with new civilizations, the King dispatched missives to identify potential allies for the future. The obvious suggestion of his advisors was to seek friends in Carthage, who were kept firmly in the loop on Roman affairs. It seemed that through the Despotate he might be able to secure valuable allies against the Karlings to his North and East - allies he would need desperately even if the Francian King was currently shitting his trousers at the prospect of a vassal with twice his riches in gold and the title of a proper monarch.

And he did not sit on these riches either. The reign of the Hispano-Burgundians was marked with a massive campaign of patronage to different inventors and artists - of particular note was the Venetian painter, Luca di Lucci, who became the King’s premier producer of portraits and propagandistic scenes of peasant foot-kissing which would be displayed in the halls of his palace and, much to the dismay of his vassals, their bedchambers. By decree.

Additionally to the massive patronage of well-intentioned art, the King’s sponsorship of thinkers resulted in more than a few prestigious plays and gimmick inventions which diffused themselves across the realm. Of more useful note was the writings of Burgundian general Karl Allaire. His works, subsidized by the crown’s coin, resulted in the creation and diffusion of the “Manifeste à la guerre,” a series of military manuscripts on tactics, training, and conduct. Finding readers as far as Constantinople, the manual bore comparisons to the Roman “Strategikon” of the same subject. It would go on to become standard reading material for the well-learned Burgundian martial lords of the Realm, and neighboring Dukes even took up the book for a read.

All-in-all, the last fifty years of the 9th century had treated Burgundy extremely well, and there was much to look forward to and much to worry about in the future.

But that? That’s a tale for another time.

The latter half of the century saw the expansion of Carthage’s borders and the reduction of Carthage’s arable land, with the Sahara slowly creeping up on the once-prosperous breadbasket. While the Carthaginians made successful conquests of Libya and put the Western Muslims on the defensive, they too had become victims of raids by the forces of nature and the abuses of over-farming. North Africa was becoming wasteland, and it was displacing thousands. While the magnificent and powerful port cities were cushioned from this force through the support of Sicily’s rich harvests, the cities were now becoming swollen an increasing trend of urbanization. The Carthaginian realm was tightening, with or without the Jihad to compel them.

As less and less arable land became available, the crafty Carthaginians were forced to make due with what they had - previously untilled hill terrain and other land of less-than-suitable elevation became prime real estate for the cultivation of grain. What made this possible was the rising use of terrace farming, allowing hill farmers to cultivate grain in otherwise steep slopes. Support for this commandeering of farmland was well-supported by the Carthaginian senate, who furnished significant amounts of manpower and coin to prepare land for use in agriculture. In this period, the grain stores of major settlements were also expanded to compensate for the increasing volatility of the Despotate’s food supply. Much less grain was sold in surplus and much more was levied for storage in silos across the state.

By the third quarter of the ninth century, the realm began to stabilize, its hungry peoples satiated for now. However, Carthage still stood at an ever-increasing risk of losing its readily available grains, and so the protection of the Despotate’s breadbaskets became an issue brought up more and more frequently in the Senate, with many lords withholding levies in order to protect their dear food supplies. Conversely, the amount of soldiers increased as the Senate levied swathes Carthage’s poor in light of renewed offensives by the Saracens, both in the East and West and in the sea. The Senate launched a massive campaign of “righteous redemption,” which, much to the dismay of the Despotate’s privileged urban pops, preached the elevation of all to citizenship status regardless of faith or creed if they took up the Carthaginian banner. While successful in countering the drop in levies caused by the reluctance and fear of the landed aristocracy, the effort was controversial across all levels of society. The resulting controversy sent waves through local Christendom, and was instrumental in the failure of Carthage’s negotiations at the First Council of the Lateran in Rome, where the Carthaginian delegates were welcomed coldly by their ultra-orthodox brethren, who saw the domestic campaign as an embrace of heretics and non-believers.

In reaction to the increasing pressure of Saracen counter-attacks, the stock of Carthage’s library was ordered to be moved to Sardinia, where there was a heavy, well-fortified military presence. Likewise, the Senate convened its final meeting within Carthage on the eve of 877, then relocating all operations to Palermo, where a significant presence of professional troops was permanently stationed. Island ports across the realm were seeing rapid growth of military presence and fortification, and many aristocrats feared that despite Carthage’s fortunes, the fate of the realm was only delayed by the reconquests of Saint Skalder some 70 years earlier.

At the half-turn of the century, the Kingdom of Brittania was largely in ruin. However, the desperate and weak position that the Kingdom found itself in was no deterrent for the ever-resilient Romano-Britons, who picked up where they had left off and began to rebuild. The reconstruction and repatriation of subordinate realms (including the combination of Dumnonia’s governorship with the office in Durotrigia to form the province of Cornubia) led to a massive shortage of coin, which was in turn counteracted by a re-intensification of trade conducted outside the realm. Delegates sent to all of Albion’s former trade partners re-secured trade rights for Brittanian merchants, and soon enough the crown-sponsored tradesmen began to bring in well-deserved taxes, especially Carthaginian silver, which was one of the most valuable forms of currency available to a contemporary lord. Of particular priority to the High King was repayment of debts to the House Karling, who furnished Brittania with significant amounts of solid coin during the succession crisis, and the preceding years saw major shipments of coin sent forth to Germania.

Along with the need for manpower to rebuild Brittania, the increasing presence of Viking raids and the eminence of the new Swedish King led to the rapid reconstitution of Legio II, who, at great cost to the King, saw their permanent manpower swell from a merry band of 700 to a grand force of 11,000. Aside from working permanent fortifications along Brittania’s Eastern shores, the legion undertook a major civil engineering campaign, resulting in the rapid reconstruction and expansion of major urbs across Albion, as well as the commissioning of new forts and stations. With a fresh start, and new prospective generals, the Legio II adopted among into its lexicon the "Manifeste à la guerre" of Burgundian origin, which resulted in the synthesis of various military manuals to create the legion’s new fighting style for the new age. The new general of the second legion, Caius Emilius, applied these concepts extensively in his dealings with varangian raid parties, and to that end the legion regained its reputation as a force to be reckoned with.

The latter years of Gervase Aurelian Padullus’s reign as High King were marked with significant development of Brittania’s external presence, with a major delegation attending and successfully negotiating at the First Council of the Lateran in 876. Relations with Carthage, though intense through trade, were markedly cold as the delegation to the council directed a not-so-insignificant amount of insults and inflammatory language toward the Carthaginian delegates, who had just recently engaged in what amounted to a minor heresy in the eyes of the Brittanian bishops. Upon the delegation’s return from the council, they were welcomed angrily by the High King, who scolded them for their hostility towards the Carthaginians. The High King thus looked ahead, thinking how he would now mend this wound in the relationship between the High King and the Senate in Palermo.

Varangian. Men across Europe whisper the word with shaky breath, shuddering in the face of the pagan heretic. The faceless menace that stands against all that is holy and right. But they were that - barbarian heathen, and they could never stand to actually challenge the supremacy of God’s chosen kingdoms.

Until now.

It all started when the powerful Jarl Harold Anundsson, a distant relative of the Rurik dynasty, defeated a confederation of tribes in the heart of Southern Scandinavia. His power at the half-point of the century was such that he was declared a King among Jarls, and so he became. Harold the Great went on to carve out a massive realm which would have the Europeans to his South rightfully shitting their trousers.

All that would be Svíþjóð today was built and championed by the great Varangian King, whose extended family would go on to conquer much of Northern Europe. Anundsson created a complicated and rich system of obligations through which he maintained power among his Jarls, all of whom quietly contended to succeed or overthrow him - he courted powerful allies through the assignment of titles and landed wealth, and formed the precursor of a common Varangian culture and religious creed that would serve to culturally and religiously unite the disparate peoples of Southern Scandinavia. Those who left the frozen homeland to carve out their own realms still paid homage to Anundsson, who was their patron and guarantor of legitimacy, for every Varangian man and woman acknowledged the great King as the “Father of all Nords.”

When Anundsson passed of age, an age of mourning swept the realm. Jarls looked on with delight, but the great King had established a strong base of loyal vassals who would immediately support his successor. With no heirs of his own to pass on his title, he left his Kingdom to his nephew, the young Jarl Jósuá Heimskur Ragnarsson.

Jarl Heimskur was youthful, but his enemies feared him. At the age of twenty-six, just a year from his ascension to the throne, he led a vast army of vassals and his own men on a conquest against the grand Kingdom of Hestia, bringing the Germanic crown to its knees. Later, he commissioned and backed the Varangian conquest of Normandy against the House Karling, leading to the miraculous defeat of the Francian army at Caen. The resulting conquests and Jarldoms only served to further cement the power of the King, who basked in the prestige and riches of war.

Having not seen his palace for years, King Ragnarsson returned to Svíþjóð in late 896, much to delight of his subjects, and was given a hero’s welcome. Following a decisive “reconquest” against the Anglish Realm, the King committed vast amounts of wealth to the rebuilding and development of his conquests. In this period, trade expanded drastically, as did the many port settlements of the realm, who saw their humble communes evolve into sprawling power bases of commerce and military might. The King’s capital of Stockholm benefited especially from this growth, becoming the preeminent settlement of the realm. The Jarls of Svíþjóð too benefited greatly from this rapid growth which saw their capitals rise to prestigious status, and King Ragnarsson was duly credited.

At the turn of the century, Ragnarsson once more slept in the cabin of a longship, making preparations for a new conquest abroad…. Now was the age of the Varangian.

Turn VIII: 900 to 950 AD

ΥΜΝΟΙ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥΓΕΝΝΩΝ ΧΟΡΩΔΙΑ ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΥΠΟΛΙΤΩΝ

Turn music

Political map of Turn VII

Post link: https://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1530283&p=52987097&viewfull=1#post52987097

Notable Events:

-Their Southern Danube lands forever occupied by the Romans, the Bulgarian empire collapses under the Magyar invasion, as the Wallachian lords swear fealty to the new Hungarian emperor.
-The Pecheneg tribe is pushed West by Rurikid aggression, settling North of Wallachia.
-Ravenna is annexed by the King of Italy through treaty, leaving the Papal States smaller than it previously was.
-The Polish tribes of Hestia unite into a single kingdom, throwing off the Hestian yoke.
-The succeeding kings of France now take on the title of "Emperor" of Francia.
-Due to a succession crisis between the Karling emperors, Italia splits off from Imperial Germania to form its own kingdom.
-The death of the Duke of Benevento results in the fracturing of his realm.

Long live the Basileus Varazes Sebastos, King of the Romans, Imperator of the Western and Eastern Legions, Most holy guardian of the Christian faith, and most magnificent patron of Constantinople. May God bless him and all his descendants.

The ascent of the Emperor Varazes, many said, would mark the beginning of a new era for the Eastern Roman empire. He was a man of ambition and faith - a man of the whole world, assembled into a single whole.

The turn of the century would inevitably see the Bulgarian kingdom fall, dissolved into dust as its Southern-Danube holds fell back under the authority of the Romans.

It was this idea - that all of Rome's former territories would sooner or later return to the fold, that drove Varazes to draw up and combine the Armies of the West and East, and enter into a long and hard reconquest of Illyria.

the Kingdom of Croatia bowed and buckled under the pressure of Imperial invasion. Not even the deadly, vast, hills of Illyria and the incredible predictability of a Westward Roman army could stop Varazes from attaining his victory.

By the year 909, Illyria was once again submitted to the authority of Constantinople, perhaps for good.

The Roman armies, rich and experienced from the conquest, returned to their garrisons with much learned, and much of the adaptations made in the Illyrian reconquest would go to paper in the Empire's next great military manual. Varazes, with the help of his scribes, wrote the "Legionary Lexicon", which would be rapidly picked up and studied in Carthage, and consequently, would find itself studied and diffused by the Brittanian general Tridamus. The manual in particular called for the use of massed crossbows, as well as pike formations to secure flanks.

Following a large and extravagant triumph, coupled with a large ceremony to commemorate the marriage between the Abbasid and Macedonian dynasties, Varazes ordered the construction of a huge wall on the North side of the Danube, spanning from the Carpathian mountains, to the shore of the Black Sea. The wall would take many years to complete, and would barely be finished when Varazes was on his death bed in 952.

To fund this and the continued provisioning of the army of the West, taxes for freeholders were raised to unprecedented levels, not seen since the reign of Justinian. However, these taxes came in a time of unbroken peace and growth - Anatolia, and Thrace had not seen raids for a century or more, and so with the help of his Exarchs and local governors, Varazes was able to put these new tax laws in place. The senate too assented, as they saw kickbacks from the Imperial office as well as a modest drawing up of imperial salaries.

Of the more absurd projects undertaken by Varazes was the beautification of Constantinople, which involved the construction of new, ornate buildings and decorations, as well as the formation of a rubbish-collection squad. Varazes also passed a law through the senate which required incense to be burned throughout the city, in order to give it a fresh smell - the reactions of the aristocracy and denizens were mixed. Certainly mixed.

In the final years of his reign, Varazes establishes the Red Sea trading post of Nova Antioch in attempts to bypass the silk-road routes going through the Caliphate. Trade quickly starts up, but many exotic goods are locked away behind exorbitant prices and exclusive deals, more than likely held up through renewed Persian influence in India.

The great raid on Cavelot would leave a scar on Brittania - an open wound which would take years to heal. It was on that fateful day that Brittanians' perceptions of the world would change drastically. Many thought the arrival of the old heathen king Heimskur signaled the end times.

Brittania as it they knew it did not end, but a new era of rising conflict was just upon them.

It was no surprise, then, that the turn of the ninth century would see significant changes in how Brittania's military affairs were handled - of the most prime was the division of the Second Brittanian Legion, to form Legio I Brittanica, commanded by Caius Emilius, and Legio II Crucensis, commanded by no other than the well-known Londinian politician-general, Tridamus, known for his usage of the gladius and scutum, in contrast to Emilius' spatha and parma usage. The council of Cavelot put into his hands the defense of Eastern Brittania against the new heathen threat, for they'd already seen the havoc and destruction that the King Heimskur wreaked on Cavelot in his siege on the city, while Western Brittania was put into Emilius' hands. The need to advance and stay on top of military affairs was only further spurred by the defeat of the Northsex kingdom in the North, which now crowned a Norseman, Leif Ragnarsson as King - the brother of King Josue of Svedia, no less - whose realm is forever named "Lex Svedia", or Svelex for short.

Even with new threats on the horizon, the wealth of the Brittanian kingdom continued to swell as external trade with the Carthaginians, and now the Francians, continued. Enough coin was accrued to pay off the Karling debt through the next few decades, and the Brittanians, through their trade with Carthage, acquired much knowledge diffused from the Roman world. A military manual authored by the Roman basileus Varazes was passed on through Brittanian traders, and had recently come into the possession of legate Tridamus, who has been spearheading efforts to reform the legions kingdom-wide, some of which are based on his own military treatise. Indeed, the Brittanian council in Cavelot began seeing an upshoot of requests from commanders for the purchase Francian 'crossbows', which were in heavy demand due to a successful record of employment in Tridamus's Legion, to the point where ideas have risen to forming a Legio III Cavela, in remembrance of the great raid which shook the kingdom.

Civil engineering projects conducted by the legions intensified throughout the first half of the new century, but were hampered heavily by intensified raiding from across the seas. Participation in the Second Lateran Council in 910 was not at all hampered by the viking raids, but the threat of pagans shifted to become a major talking point of the Brittanian delegation.

The turn of the century would see the great Caliphate contract and expand wildly, signifying volatile yet surging times for the Islamic world.

The Caliph first ordered Islamic armies down East Africa, subjugating the Ethiopians, Somalis, and Swahili in sweeping blows and leaving vassal emirates and sultanates in their wake, among them the eminent Azanid Sultanate, stretching from the Western reaches of Somalia to all the way down the Swahili coast.

After a long period of conquest, some successful conquests (and in the East less-so) the Caliph shifted to focus on economic and internal affairs, including a concerted effort to colonize the island of Socotra and set up a line of trading posts down the Persian gulf - the effort saw modest success but was hampered by Roman competition and the dominance of Persian influence in India.

As tribute and plunder swelled the treasuries, the Caliph decided to put this loot to good use by way of irrigating Mesopotamia - he hoped to return it to its former status as the 'fertile crescent,' and indeed it could one day return to being the agricultural heart of the Levant - after several decades of dedicated irrigation, crop yields were already up significantly.

The Caliph's reign would certainly be remarkable if it had not been for the latter-year civil war which significantly weakened the state of the Caliphate - what started as a court dispute in Baghdad over the tolerance of Shia Muslims quickly erupted into a full-blown, city-wide riot. As the Caliph lost control over his capital and anarchy reigned, the great Emirs of Aleppo and Damascus declared a full-on revolt.

Thanks to the help of the Basileus Varazes and his armies, however, the Caliph was able to quell the rebellions and restore order. Even so, tensions boiled underneath the surface, of which the Caliph's use of Christian arms to kill Muslims was a key point. Even as order was restored, irreparable damage was done to the present order - the Romans and Carthaginians took advantage of the chaos in order to retake Cyrenaica, while the Azanid Sultanate freed itself from the Abbasid yoke, retaining a regular tribute but otherwise being completely independent of the Caliph's whims. Over in the East, the Sasanian Shahanshah, growing more powerful with each passing day, declared full independence from the Abbasid - not a coin of tribute flowed in from Isfahan, and the Caliph was powerless to enforce his will on them. Indeed, it seemed that the Caliphate had lost its key vassals, and was now in a more vulnerable position than ever - as the next Caliph took the throne, the very fate of the unified Islamic realm rested on his shoulders.

The decisive defeat of the Caliphate in Africa was followed by the enacting of a tentative ceasefire, which the Senate has now taken advantage of to stockpile monies and consolidate their professional retinues.

Doubly, the Senate moved their focus toward civil affairs as an era of warfare and instability died down. With the existence of the Carthaginian realm no longer in question, patrols to the marches of Numidia once more resumed, as did the rolling land reforms and agricultural projects that would see the encroachment of the Sahara slow - indeed, even with the defeat of Islamic armies, the land itself still threatened to devour once-prosperous Africa. The Senate came down hard on exploitation of soil and introduced several mandates which required by law the rejuvenation and rotation of lands, public and private. These new mandates gave life to a budding new bureaucratic class of "overseers" - officials dispatched by the senate to overlook (and account for the land, for tax purposes) the proper management of African estates and tenant-farms, some of which had grown to magnificent sizes. Strings were pulled across the pond to have Nova Carthago and its dependencies enact the mandates to apply to Southern Hispania, which too was not as lush as its Northern counterpart. All of these new laws came with allotments of money and manpower to create vast irrigation projects inlands of Africa and the Numidian marches.

Much of these new projects, including the repair and rebuilding of many Roman-era aqueducts, were funded through the institution of a new 'redemption' tax - the first of its kind in the Christian world, and much-celebrated within the Senate of Carthage. Seen as a reverse-imposition of tithes as well as a penance for Islamic aggression, the 'redemption' is a tax levied on non-Christians, namely Muslims, who reside within Carthage's realm, as an alternative to conversion to Christianity. Indeed, the new income is a boon for the Senate's coffers as well as the Carthaginian clergy, who are quick to see any incentive to gain more followers as a triumph. However, as the tax sweeps the realm both in Africa and Hispania Inferior, there is an underlying tension that grips the still-numerous Muslim populations of the Carthaginian realm. Many fewer men show up to the muster, and even fewer can be bothered to give credence to the state's pluralist stance, now little more than a joke told by bards.

The latter decades of the century see another expansion of Carthage's already vast wealth through the exacting of tariffs on the growing trade from the North - as the traffic of merchant ships from Brittania and Hispania Superior intensified, so did the fees extracted from their activities on the Mediterranean. Indeed, Carthaginian authority has become so absolute as to have given all waters West of Palermo a new name among those that fare them - the Sea of Africa. Tales of its riches and splendor would reach as far as the lands from where Varangians hailed, proliferated after the island of Malta was leased to men of King Josua Ragnarsson for reasons unknown to any but the Senate in Carthage. The Varangians' intentions were clear, though, and these vikings made their presence known throughout Italy with incessant raiding and plundering from Naples to Genoa, while Carthaginian holdings in Sicily and throughout the Western Mediterranean were conveniently spared. Suffice to say, incoming trade from the sea routes around Sicily dropped significantly, and instead routed West along the coast of the Duchy of Burgundy, and then South past Nova Carthago. It wouldn't be until after the first half of the century that the norse presence on Malta ceased to be, and upon its conclusion Sicilian sea traffic would rise once more. Even with the interruption in Southern-flowing trade, however, the Senate's profits were mysteriously uninterrupted, and many new tomes of knowledge and artifacts were bought from the Maltese Varangians, some for virtually nothing.

To appease the Francian emperor and focus on his new kingdom, the former-duke, now-king had handed off the great Burgundian duchy to his nephew, Louis. His marriage to the Duke of Toulouse's daughter solidified the Occitan alliance and formed a new cadet branch of the Burgundian dynasty, in order to secure the succession of Hispania to the king's son.

While the king paid close attention to affairs in Francia, and often visited Paris to court the emperor, there was little contention as to his status of vassalage to the emperor now. King Philip was his own man - sovereign and supreme in his own right, though the Burgundian duchy of his nephew would remain a constituent electorate of the Francian empire, and his nephew (and most of his family) too vassal of the emperor.

Philip was no stranger to foreign invasion - he had seized Visigothic Spain through force of arms himself, and now he focused his efforts on ending the trend at himself - he provisioned an extensive line of castles along the Pyrenees, securing the mountain passes for himself and preempting any attempts by the emperor, present or future to infringe on his independence. The erection of castles along the border of Hispania obviously did not sit well with the Marquises of Southern Aquitaine, who threatened pre-emptive invasion of the Pyrenees to stop the fortresses being built. The counts of Aquitaine were quieted, however, when King Philip raised an army and marched to garrison the North Pyrenees during the period of construction. Still, future proceedings at the emperor's court in Paris were understandably cold.

King Philip would pass before the castles were fully completed, but his son, Carlos, would resume the fortification of the Pyrenees, all the while massively expanding the Eastern ports around Barcelona. Carlos enacted several tax reforms in Aragon which mandated tax be paid in African coinage. Carlos saw his treasury swell with 'Roman' currency which he used to pay and expand his royal retinue, whose loyalty would only be strengthened as the king became a unique source of salary - that which could provide valuable, widely-traded numismata which were preferred over the native Hispanian denarii.

On the civil side of things, Carlos copied reforms and mandates enacted by the government of Nova Carthago in the South, and furnished a significant amount of money towards projects involving the enforcement of agricultural standards and irrigation - such things which were highly beneficial to the mountainous, semiarid kingdom.

Lastly, Carlos enlisted the help of Carthaginian artisans to create a new symbol for the Hispanian Kingdom to rally around - what resulted was a vexilloid which would adorn the royal banners and battle-standards of Carlos's armies - the "Aquila de Rosas".

In the latter years, the King enlisted a group of merchants to travel East and seek audience with the so-called Emperor of the Romans, having heard much of his power and influence throughout the Christian world - indeed, he might make a decent ally. At the half-turn of the century, King Carlos tentatively awaited the return of the merchants with his diplomat in tow.

By the turn of the century, the great Swedish king Josua Ragnarsson had indeed begun to age beyond his youthful days. But, he was far from done building his legacy - that which the poets would sing of and the runestones tell of. The great raid on Bretannaland would culminate in all he has ever strived for - the greatest of which to be Viking, and the chief among them in the sagas retelling the histories of Scandinavia. Indeed, he would go down as such a man that many after him would find it doubtful he had even existed, or perhaps that he had been several men, combined into one magnificent king. Whatever the case may have been, it is said that in the year 903 of our Lord, the King of Svitjod sent men across the vast country, from the flatlands of Anglaland, to the fjords of Norway, and to the furthest, snowiest reaches of Norrland to gather a great raiding party. Alliances forged and deals made with other kings - this would be the greatest viking army to ever be witnessed by man - by 904 AD, King Heimskur and his allies in arms set off for the West.

Precious months were spent heading toward the Southern shores of Bretannaland before the fleet was blown off course, and landed at the vast coastal city which the Norsemen called Kamlastad, but the native Brittanians called it Cavelot. Woefully unprepared for the surprise landing, which had arrived during a light storm, the men of Josua Heimskur led the climb over the walls of Kamlastad, overwhelming the small token garrison which had been left there in stead of Legio II Crucensis, which drilled in the less-fortified South in preparation for the raiding season.

The city of Kamlastad was put to the torch, and anything within its walls not bolted down stolen, including precious artifacts of the Church, such as the fingerbone of Saint Glevicus and a wooden fragment of the true cross.

Just as quickly as they had come, the Norsemen retreated. Legio II Crucensis swept down upon Cavelot but found only destruction and death aplenty. By the time defenses had been rebuilt and fortifications upped in the East, news had already come from the North that the Northumbrian King had been put to the sword, and now the brother of King Heimskur ruled in his place.

Throughout the first half of the century, Brittania, Cherson, and even the Karling realm of Italia would face incessant smaller raids, plaguing trade and stability. These raids would only decrease in their intensity after the reported passing of King Ragnarsson, and his succession by his son, Eirikr Josusson.

It is said that upon the house King Josua was born, a great temple not unlike that at Uppsala was constructed for gods and mortals to share quarter, and within it a great runestone detailing the feats and accomplishments of the late King was constructed. Many hundreds are said to visit it to this day.