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Completed Let's Play Europa Universalis 3: Magna Vinland Ragnarök

Best choice?

  • Perkele Perkele Perkele (Finland)

    Votes: 6 20.0%
  • To me sons of Sigm... Donar, for the Emperor! (Kleve - Confederation of Nordland)

    Votes: 1 3.3%
  • Expeditions: Now with Vikings (Vinland)

    Votes: 12 40.0%
  • To Remove Kebab or be Removed by Kebab (Armenia)

    Votes: 6 20.0%
  • Remove Anglo-Saxon (Britannia)

    Votes: 3 10.0%
  • The Brazilian Slaughter (Portugal)

    Votes: 2 6.7%

  • Total voters
    30

Cassidy

Arcane
Joined
Sep 9, 2007
Messages
7,922
Location
Vault City
Download Links for the Mod:

Magna Vinland Ragnarok 0.2
New Loading Screens for Magna Vinland*
Custom Soundtrack for Magna Vinland, Falalalan included:
Sountrack Part 1
Soundtrack Part 2

Read more instructions about installation in:

http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/magna-vinland-ragnarök.84351/


*Rename the file to .7z if you don't like self-extracting files.

Main Theme - Bathory: Prelude/Nordland
800px-Christian-krohg-leiv-eriksson.jpg

Magna Vinland Ragnarök

Index

  1. Choose a country to play
  2. The Shadow over Smaragdur
  3. Have Hope in the Hopeless
  4. Victory at any cost
  5. A short time of peace, and the arrival of other Europeans in the New World.
  6. Odin demands Iroquois Blood! Týr demands Justice!
  7. Vikings of the Caribbean
  8. Birth of a Nation
  9. Advance onto the shadows
  10. Viking Pirates of the Caribbean
  11. Return of the Undefeatable
  12. To purge the Eldritch is to cross the thin edge of a razor.
  13. Drive the English back to their island!
  14. ITZ COMING!
  15. The beginning of a new Thousand-year Era
  16. Eldritch Wars
  17. Reaching the West Coast
  18. Resist the Shadows and never stop sailing
  19. The Sun will never set in the Great Vinland Hersk!

If you think pagans are too overpowered in Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods, you came to the right thread to see pagans having a really, really hard time. More exactly, this mod is pretty much is Magna Mundi Platinum 2 -> Mare Apertum -> Prisoner of Life CYOA meets a stew of crazy Alternate History including ERE divided between a declined and an inclined half, kebab being removed from Anatolian and Caucasian Albania premises only to return through East Europe with a vengeance, plus fixes to PIRATES! that makes the it happen less frequently in stink ppoor potato producing provinces, but far more frequently than the Magna Mundi usual in gold and other high value trade good producing provinces, specially in the New World.

As for download links, I know this sounds very Cleve-ian, but there are too many things to fix yet. Maybe I should extend the AH to diverge in Asia and Middle east too. Some events inherited from Mare Apertum and designed for a historical reality I might have missed may cause issues. The description of the scenario still needs some updates. I have yet to add events that simulate an extremely fierce colonial race between Portugal and Granada(more on this later), possibly going as far as giving each other cores to every colony they start. To playtest and balance the new pagan exclusive religious decisions(which may be on the CK II grade overpowered level) and I didn't create unique stuff for the Slavic pagans of Pommerania which in this alternate history was never resettled by Germans as it is not critical, considering Pommerania does not exist as an independent country by the game start but can be released from Lithuania. And there are some other things. A jungle of HRE events that needs to be update for the massive changes, as one of them. But what is already working should be more than enough for a fun Let's Play. Most importantly, I'd like some feedback on balance as well.

tl;dr : Norse, Suomenusko, Rodnover and Romuva as new religions fully integrated with the Dei Gratia submod(now I understand why copx ended like that), lots of cool decisions for them too, fluff events explaining the background of the more relevant countries(WIP, only did them for the countries in the Poll and Danish Order of the Norse Knights of Christ), Europe, North America and Asia Minor completely changed.

So enough explanations, here are some of the changed and new countries compared to our timeline I consider the most interesting:

lktJmWs.jpg


Vaarna_Aarne

Finland, a glorious union of all Finnic peoples left, ambitiously claiming lands further south and east that once were inhabited by Finno-Ugric peoples, or they are doing that just because they hate Russia. The Sixth Northern Crusade is hellish, and their arch-enemy Novgorod significantly outnumbers them. However, the Finns have the blessing of incredibly disciplined armies, capable of making legions of poorly disciplined rabble like the army of Novgorod pay a high price for every inch they advance into sacred Finnish clay. However, they have very limited manpower and start as the lesser subject of an union with Scandinavia they may wish to break from to seek their own destiny.

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Rape rating: 11/10

Read that Serbian AAR on how the Holy Roman Empire reacted and all fun events that were triggered when Serbia conquered Slovenia. Multiply that tenfold. Plus there is the threat of mega-kebab incursions against Krautland. This is like that thing Kleve was talking about. To vote for Kleve/Nordland Pagan would-be Emprah of Germany is to vote for:

:hero:

Because I'm not even sure if it's possible for these dreamy heathens with a "-" military rating, even with their strong Dutch Pretty Princess and several other allies at start(Nordland Confederation), to pull this bold goal of forming Germany.


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Vinland is interesting. There is a set of penalties until 1600 or naval tech level 21 that restricts over expansion for the sake of preventing them from colonizing all of North America, but they are a strong country, if isolated with a steep 60% penalty to tech costs because they would be too OP otherwise of limited contact and emerging middle class modifiers. They start with the powerful Land of Opportunity colonial National Idea and are pretty much a colonization-centered country. Although this will be a slow start, like playing with the Aztecs except you can colonize and has a chance of surviving, once either Britannia or more likely England colonize North America, they will be waging constant wars for dominance over Kwanstain and Kwanada, most oftenly started by the Britfags.

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Armenia is a kingdom with balls of steel. They are surrounded by kebab, falafel, plus Mountain Jews and Seleukeia who consider them heretical. Seleukeia also has claims over all their territories, which will last forever because they are of the same culture group.

Armenia will have one hell of a time and guaranteed kebab removal action without being samey compared to Serbia(which is Bogomilist and controls most of the equivalent of RL Yugoslav here). And is in a perfect position to go deeper to the east, to burn the yurt and salt the steppe.

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Bretannia, like Finland, starts at war with a numerically superior enemy, and even once they manage to form a Celtic Great Britain and remove Saxon, they will definitively have trouble keeping Britanny from being invaded by the frogs. And AI Vinland may grow strong enough to put a real challenge once the first Irish arrive at Kwa'

Basically a quite tough start, but may become quite less challenging around the 1600s.

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The Brazilian Slaughter

Finally, a Portugal that isn't as beginner-recommended as the historical one, with an equally naval proficient Westernized and Naval-centric Muslim Granada as a neighbor that will offer heavy competition to their colonization, and may even decide it's time to create a Caliphate of Iberia and invade Portugal.

So, pick your choice.
 

Azira

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
8,518
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Codex 2012
Fuck Armenia, we've had plenty of kebab removal in the EU LPs here. Let's do something fresh. I stand by my Vinland vote. :rpgcodex:
 

Cassidy

Arcane
Joined
Sep 9, 2007
Messages
7,922
Location
Vault City
I think Vinland is too... whole. Doesn't mesh well with the whole habit Vikings had of going anywhere and setting their own little petty kingdoms. Also, I find a Republic of Vinland highly unlikely.

Not less unlikely than a pagan revival in the 11th century. By the hands of a character which can be roughly described as a mix of a Viking explorer with The Nameless One, being unable to die included, but which won't ever show up in the mod in any form to make the setting more interesting. And this character united Vinland under a Republic too.

Also, they seem to have no interesting rivals until Europeans come knocking. A sizable population of people from Europe coming in 1000 AD would cause IMMENSE changes in North America. For starters, diseases (which by 1400 I assume the natives would've partially recovered from, if not totally), and spread of european blacksmithing techniques, which would be VERY fast (to give you a good idea of this, when the portuguese arrived in Brazil, they did everything to stop the natives from learning metal work of any sort, even taking native as apprentices and assistants to a smith was prohibited, yet they eventually found out how, and soon the portuguese found out tribes of natives using metal weaponry before they ever met the natives).

I should definitively add an Iroquois Confederacy that is half-way into becoming civilized and divided among followers of their traditional polytheistic faith and of Norse paganism, and maybe another native country with claims on Smaragdur(New England), unique overpowered units and an exclusive religion that involve lots of "Ia Dagon, Ia Hydra" chanting and madness.

:mhd:

Maybe I should delay the first update itt to do it [/Stereotypical Villain]
 
Joined
Dec 28, 2012
Messages
6,657
Location
Rape
Titanic multi-headed dicks rising from the atlantic to hit legs and ass?

The religion of peace revealed to be a melonhead front for a doom cult that worships said Dick?

Timurid rape gangs invading from Pakistan as a plot engineered to wipe out the last traces of Neanderthal heritage from the sap genepool?

Melonhead sorcerers, scheming jews, mighty 'thals, hordes of sap rapists and elder gods awakening from their eon-long slumber to penetrate the hymen of the cosmos?

The possibilities are endless.
 

Cassidy

Arcane
Joined
Sep 9, 2007
Messages
7,922
Location
Vault City
ITZ COMING!

Vinland won and showing an isolated country painting a map blue with minimum effort would be boring, so behold!

=========

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The Shadow over Smaragdur

The Raven

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Vinland, a brave small republic under the Raven Banner. Brave and small, for even if somewhat large in territorial extent, most of this territory remains very sparsely populated outside Odinhóll, also called Odinholm by the Swedes. A city that is considered holy by most who strongly believe in the reformed Norse faith, as is the First Temple of the New World, a humble shrine built over the lands of the Wyandot people, where its constructors deeds were so heroic and legendary that most of the Wyandot have embraced the Norse gods, and since then became the only trustworthy of the rising new States around Vinland.

First they suffered the terrible plagues, but that has been centuries ago, and the natives neighboring Vinland have not only recovered from the Black Death, but evolved far away from their primitive ways and westwards, specially the Lenape, who are just a few decades away from building their first oceangoing vessels, and unfortunately, other than the balance of power Vinland must play with, their presence did more, and much, much worse in the way it gave rise to a great threat..

During the times of the Black Death, a sorceror named Narackamous visited many tribes in the cold and unforgiving north as they slowly died to the plague, promising them immunity, and even a chance of immortality, if they were to abandon their traditional gods and embrace the cosmic horrors known as the Great Old Ones, and Dagon in particular. And thus, in the 12th Century, from primarily Abenaki and Micmac tribes, the Dagonl'nu, the People of Dagon, were born. With the blessings of the eldritch gods, they have transformed severely both as individuals and as a civilization, becoming something no longer truly human, and advancing in a far more unorthodox way. The technology the dark gods taught them to use is centered not on craft, manufacture, construction, but on growing, twisting and reshaping life as a mockery of itself.

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Not even the distant Catholics can match the threat posed by these inhuman degenerates. Their technology is slowly surpassing that of Vinland and even of the rest of the world, and the way they apply it to warfare makes their armies macabre and terrifying to the point the mere sighting of them could drive poorly trained conscripts to a rout, while their average warrior with the typical "Smaragdur Skraeling" appearance, is inhumanly strong

To secure their sovereignty against these subhuman monsters is the most immediate priority of Vinland, specially because the Dagonl'nu claim Smaragdur as their ancestral lands by right and by the existence of an alleged city of deep ones on the within the coast of that region. Smaragdur is an important region of Vinland for its wealth in emeralds. Defeat is not an option, and it must be defended at all costs, come what may. For the defense of their people, Vinland counts on an unconventional weapon, the repeating crossbow, based on the model created by Diogenes of Constantinople in the 11th Century. Likewise, although it fell into disuse, the craft of the Polybolos remains known and if desired, several could be built for the army.

Although limited in manpower, Vinland still can afford to keep a quite large standing army. With their limited manpower, their tactics and formations are primarily defense, even if they oftenly are aggressive and bold against their foes.

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Vinland once had no real government, but several merchant interests competing with each other. The weakness of their former social order was revealed when the Great Old Ones, to whom gold is worthless but abundant, exploited the greed of Norskers. It was no coincidence the first cults and esoteric orders to the eldritch horrors were founded by merchants who became absurdly wealthy after their dark deals. Now, Vinland has a more centralized government, a bureaucratic Republic shaped as a more idealized form of the ancient Roman one. The current consul, Angartýr V, is well aware they are becoming backwards compared to Europe, and wisely launched reforms to make the wealthy merchant city of Odinhóll, a hub of native and Norse trade in the continent, more open to the Old World. It was mostly approved, granting stability to the country.

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The Dagonl'nu were clearly preparing for war. Their legions spanned the continent, and the army of Vinland was superiorly trained but too small to stand a chance on their own, if the horrors attack. Thus, an alliance with the Wyandot, the natives most close to Vinland, was secured to ensure the continued survival of both countries against the cults and legions of Dagon.

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The tribes are fierce, and their gods are at least recognized. For most of recent times, Vinland maintained good relations with them, and had little reason to do different. Conquest would take much longer to bring results than wealth and colonization. It was time to look further, to find new lands ripe for settlement and chart the rest of the New World.

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Besieged by the Order of the Norse Knights of Christ to the west, the Teutonic Order to the south and Novgorod to the east, Lithuania engaged into some truly byzantine diplomacy to secure peace without ceding any of her territory. Finland and Scandinavia now would will have to hold their ground against the all of the Crusader armies. May they remind these murderers and hypocrites of the wrath of the Northmen.

As for the offer, too far away to be relevant.

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Almost everything was set for a new wave of exploration by the Norse. In an unrelated note, the Dagonl'nu have massive sources of gold. But they lie underwater, and their gold is claimed to have a somewhat whiter color than regular gold, but still share the same material and weight properties of gold. Should foreigners ever get close to such gold, they would inevitably lose it, for only those who praise the eldritch gods can find guidance to not get lost within the vast networks of underwater caverns and tunnels where this gold lies. Most of the population of the capital of their vile kingdom is believed to live underwater and have very little left of humanity.

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Vinland is a tolerant country, to an extent that naturally does not include the abhorrent cultists of Dagon, in a world of intolerance. All who are willing to contribute to the country are welcome. The Cathars belief had a radical transformation over the New World. Some somber paintings depicting an universe where humanity is insignificant and slowly annihilated by cosmic horrors, while the God they believe in, in another universe, desperatedly attempts to save them, show the details on how their previous heretical concept of the Demiurge vs. God evolved.

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The darkness casted from the cold and unforgiving north shall not defeat Vinland! Scouts report the armies of Dagonl'nu are clearly growing larger and larger, and who knows what horrors could be preparing and gathering for war beneath the sea? While most of their attacks in the past has been limited to raids and slaughters against small and isolated villages, the tidings are ill, and the signs are clear a war is inevitable.

Vinland prepares to face their warriors and horrors and defend themselves, and begins to expand their tiny army. For that role, there is little the ancient polybolos could be useful for, specially when their foe outnumbers them.

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Rather, they expand their militias with repeating crossbows, hopefully not too late. Patrols stand ever vigilant in the tense northern frontier of Smaragdur, for an attack will sooner or later happen in the next years.

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The Great Old Ones

In the year of 1456, led by the stereotypically villainous Narackamous "The Awakener of Dagon", the Dagonl'nu advanced to subjugate Smaragdur, vying as well to try to destroy and bring an eternity of horror into Vinland, blessed by their eldritch gods. Mutated warriors with vicious blades and axes grown rather than forged from a life-like metal unknown to man, horsemen on steeds which looked more like twisted seahorses with four hooves than horses, just like their riders were more monster than human.

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Meanwhile, the wise Angartýr V adopted measures, even in this dark times, to ensure there will be no disunion, for all gods outside the reviled mythos of the Dagonl'nu shall be recognized, if not worshipped and supported by the Republic. Disunity could bring a third annihilation for one of the most economically important regions of Vinland, because Smaragdur has been already wiped out and depopulated twice by the terrors from the deep in the long history of Vinland. They will not allow it to happen again, and cannot afford to lose now that the dark cults have grown more than a thousandfold in the number of followers, and worse, evolved into a civilization comparable to the most advanced of the West in its technological and scientific feats, and only not eons ahead of our time because the gods they worship do share with them only insignificant breadcrumbs from their forbidden knowledge gathered from an unmeasurable time before the birth of mankind.

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Although they outnumbered, if slightly their foes, after the units of crossbowmen unleashed their first barrage of fire against the mutated cavalry, their mere approach, even unto relatively disciplined units, drove many to retreat, for the mere sighting of these vile skraelingar blessed by the eldrtich gods was sufficient to cause insanity and despair. Even led by the courageous and capable Angartýr V, who proved himself an excellent warrior and leader of warriors in melee, they routed, their spirits broken in spite of they delivering far more casualties to their foes. Such is the burden of fighting such vile enemies, for their ability to conduct warfare on a level of the mind, by breaking the morale of their enemies long before they are killed, is beyond equal.

However, they cannot give up. Smaragdur cannot fall.


(Note: I really didn't manage to find an image of an "Innsmouth look" native American riding on a monstrous seahorse with hooves, but they are all mutants who worship inhuman gods)


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In the inland regions of Vinland, for now safe from the ravages of the horrors, trade flourished slowly, their people oblivious to the news of the advance of the horrors against Vinland. It was only the alliance with the most more populous Wyandot that gave Vinland a chance of surviving now.

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However, the Wyandot native warriors, even if brave, still could not be brave enough to overcome the fear. With superior numbers, they slaughtered the horsemen of the Dagonl'nu, but still, they were losing the battle in the field of morale.

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The hordes crushed the Wyandot into yet another disaster in the Battle for the New World. Financial and manpower limitations forced Vinland to make a stand with little more than what they already had. Doomsayers began to spread word of the coming Ragnarök. The seas became more violent, many fishermen were terrified to the point of almost giving up their profession, from how hostile the waters have become, as if fear emanated from their depths.

Expecting reinforcements from their allies, again Angartýr V advanced to stop the enemy from besieging Smaragdur. Something was buying Vinland time: attrition caused by the existence of horrors in the deep forests of Smaragdur, indifferent to banners, willing to slaughter all man and not so man alike, specially when their meals were conveniently looking on another direction as they besieged the walls of the largest town in the region. Attracted by the presence of the eldritch cults, such simple-minded horrors were a curse in times of peace, and a mixed blessing in times of war, because armies more knowledgeable of the lay of the land knew how to avoid them.

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Fear was winning the war. The Wyandot were too afraid to support them, and thus, the four thousand crossbowmen were overwhelmed by the mutated savages. Once again, they failed to relieve the defenders of Smaragdur.

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The limited manpower of Vinland had much to do with the failure to defend Smaragdur, as did the horrific nature of their foes.

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The only good news in these dark years were how natives living in the territory of Vinland were mostly becoming friendlier, except for the more primitive ilk of Narackamous tribes.

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At least most of the tribes. Attrition and the struggle of the Wyandot finally relieved Smaragdur for a few days, and rapidly, the army of Vinland tried to catch smaller enemy forces, until, near the winter solstice, they all marched to a great battle in Canada, where the Wyandot needed just some support to stand a chance of victory, and the forces of Vinland bravely march onto the lands of the Canada, another tribe who embraced the LIBR@L eldritch gods.

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Together with Vinland, they vastly outnumber their foe, and yet, even when they delivered greater casualties, over the minds their enemies were winning. Grown soldiers cried, screamed and deserted as the cacophony of "IA! IA!" enshrouded them.

(Notice: Those cavalry units are tech level 0 units available from the game start. They are intentionally overpowered.)

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And once again, although they didn't kill many men, they demoralized the armies of the Wyandot and Vinland to the point they ended in a complete rout. The hope for a decisive victory was crushed, and soon Smaragdur would again be sieged. Worse of all was how ruthlessly the armies of the Dagonl'nu pursued the retreating army of Vinland.

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Like many times in the histories of this endless struggle, none survived, except somehow for Angartýr V.

The 1st Assault against Smaragdur



The entire army of Vinland was mercilessly slaughtered by the deformed half-man and half-horrors of Narackamous and by things better not imagined, and the garrison of Smaragdur, where Angartýr made his stand, would be on their own for many years, for few were ready to be recruited. This was a terrible loss, and a few days later the horrors assaulted the fortifications. Men! To the walls! Hold at all costs!

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The carnage was immense, their armies, deadly and inhuman, broke through the walls and rampaged through both the battlements and the town streets in a chaotic melee. Angartýr V fought bravely, but hundreds of the defenders of Smaragdur have fallen to hold the walls against an assault of almost ten thousand mutants and degenerates, and of horrors and nightmares right into their minds. However, there was nowhere to run, and thus, with courage and strength they did not rout like the mobile armies of Vinland that were wiped out by the horrors.

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Then, against all odds, inspired by the epic bravery of Angartýr and blessed with the berserkergang, the defenders of Smaragdur successfully defended more than a town. This legendary victory saved Vinland and gave hope where it was most needed. It was the first time Vinland won a major victory against the warriors of the Great Old Ones. Piles of tainted blood and mutilated tentacles lied on the battlements, on the ground, on the streets, the remnants of the monsters they defeated. Thousands of abominations were slaughtered. The victory at the walls of Smaragdur would enter history, even as Vinland still was ultimately losing this war.

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Angartýr V was mortally wounded during the battle, and yet, he fought bravely even as he died, forging his own legend for himself beyond that of the name his fathers gave him after the legendary founding father of Vinland. His leadership during the defense of the walls of Smaragdur was decisive, saving the people of the town from being slaughtered and brutally sacrificed to unspeakable horrors. To defend his people, he made the ultimate sacrifice.

Remember Angartýr V, and may his courage inspire all future Warrior-Consuls of Valhalla.

:salute:

In his passing, in a rapid election among the few deemed worthy and honorable enough to have the right to vote, Leif Sigurdsson was elected as the new Consul of Vinland, a legendary diplomat, great administrator and good warrior, although not as skilled in warfare as his predecessor, he takes command of a nation under siege.

Will he manage to drive back the Shadow over Smaradgur in spite of how vast and terrifying the hordes of the Dagonl'nu are? Or will the Great Old Ones wipe out Vinland and break free from their chains, conquering the world, slaying the gods and exterminating mankind?

TO BE CONTINUED
 

JagreenLern

Erudite
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2010
Messages
1,061
Location
Compton, California
MCA Project: Eternity
This is going to be good. Glad I voted for Vinland.

I just hope you can hold out against the unspeakable horrors long enough for a decent length LP.

:brotentacle:
 

marooned

Liturgist
Joined
Dec 18, 2009
Messages
313
Superb, brother. This Vinland start is way better than the first shot. Count me in.
 

Cassidy

Arcane
Joined
Sep 9, 2007
Messages
7,922
Location
Vault City
XEiB5yS.jpg


Have hope in the hopeless

Richard Wagner - Götterdämerung: Siegfried's Funeral March

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In 15th of August of 1458 our darkest hour has ensued. All the heroic sacrifice of Angartýr V did was to delay the inevitable. Smaragdur fell to the Dagonl'nu who looted many emeralds and slaughtered dozens of helpless women and children for the Elder Gods. No matter how bleak the situation is, defeat cannot be accepted. This is no time to despair and crumble, for if they surrender, Vinland will be no more and all the Norskers will be throw into a perpetual nightmare. Even if most of the fields must be reduced to ashes, even if it takes many years, Vinland mut save her people and honor the gods with victory.

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The only good news in these grim times are that the Lenape tribes near Odinhóll have become closer than ever.

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After the fall of Smaragdur, the legions of Narackamous marched forth into the Wyandot territories, giving enough breathing space for the small army of Vinland to react to a smaller siege against the equally important gold mines of Innu. To lose them as well would mean almost certain annihilation.

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Unfortunately, the horrors proved to be too much for the three thousand men to overcome. The garrison would be on their own now. The situation continued to become worse and worse, and there were too few men to answer the call to arms.

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Yet, attrition of the harsh northern winter took its toll on these monsters. They lifted the siege and retreated, but they wouldn't be allowed that. The forces of Vinland advanced to intercept them before they could escape.

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There was little joy in this victory, for it was the FIRST victory ever achieved by Vinland in this losing war, and there were dozens of thousands of them yet. With Innu secured, they embarked back to Freyhóll, which was already under siege.

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Another tragic defeat ensued. Now Freyhóll, which developed into a textile center within Vinland, is also threatened. At the rate of available manpower, the predictions all point to the inevitability of defeat. However, the people of Vinland have a long history of facing adversity and overcoming what once seemed to be impossible to overcome, and the savages were paying a high price in lives for their victories.

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By the year of 1460, the Wyandot completely lost their will to fight. So broken by the horrors and nightmares were they, in spite of being courageous natives that have fought these things before when they were not as numberful, that they surrendered Kwedech less than a few days after its fall to the legions who praise the Great Old Ones, which were already march right into their capital led by the triumphant and victorious Narackamous.

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With fresh reinforcements, in April 13th of 1460 the mutant "horses" and the "humans" riding them finally were driven into retreat, but this was no reason for celebration considering the recent surrender of the Wyandot. Now, the massive legions of the Dagonl'nu could focus their entire attention into destroying Vinland. And for every soldier of Vinland, there were tens of them.

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There was no option left but to resort to scorched earth and hope the bravery of the defenders and the heavy toll the People of Dagon were paying for their victory would suffice to put an end to their conquest.

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Even worse, the less friendly savages of the Iroquois were clearly preparing to invade Vinland should they fall. Insults ridiculing the Norsemen and even the gods were spitted by these vile skraelingar. They have made a great mistake, and they will one day pay dearly for defying the honor of the Norse and of the gods. At this moment however, there was nothing Vinland could do to put them in their place.

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The growth of Vinland cannot be stalled because the same Skraelingar ready to backstab Vinland at any moment are butthurt. To prevent greater feuds, the government agreed to compensate them for these lands.

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In the winter of 1461, a legend would rise among the Wyandot. The legend of a great band of warriors with unremitting courage who journeyed deep into enemy land to slaughter the vile mutants and spread the word of Odin. This 1st of December of 1461 would also be reccorded in the annals of Norse history as the first time natives from the New world were bestowed with the berserkergang. It is said they slaughtered thousands and more thousands of vile worshippers of the eldritch abominations, and made a valiant last stand where every one of them fought to the death. There was a much deeper meaning in this event. For it meant for the Norse their faith was not one only for the Germanic and Scandinavian people, but for all who believe in the gods. For the Wyandot, still divided between traditional and Norse gods, this was the their very first saga, a history involving exclusively their own heroes and their own berserkers who have entered triumphally into Wahala, as they call it.

Parallel to such heroic feat, another massive assault was halted not only one, but three times by the courageous garrison of Freyhóll, depleting the enemy infantry forces and giving the chance of a counter-attack.

:salute:

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No matter how much time the heroic deeds of the brave Wyandot warriors have bought, ultimately the doom returned. The experiences from this war have changed the mindset of Vinland tacticians. It was more than necessary to bring the fight to the enemy. They couldn't rely on defense. The superiority of their enemies in numbers made defense futile, and the only option a war of scorched earth and counter-offensives. Thus they employed light infantry in a larger scale instead of crossbowmen, who awaited to strike back, even if their odds of victory were ultimately hopeless.

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Then, 18th of February of 1062, after several failed attempts to take over Freyhóll that caused thousands upon thousands of casualties to the foe, an envoy from the People of Dagon made an offer they simply couldn't afford to refuse. They demanded a large sum of emeralds for the end of this war, and Vinland agreed to such terms, securing for the time being their integrity.

Thus, against all odds, thanks to the courage of the garrisons of Freyhóll and Smaragdur, thanks to the strength of spirity to, no matter how bleak the situation, never surrender and thanks to the heroic sacrifice of Angartýr V which ultimately helped with this outcome, after almost a decade of warm, Vinland managed to survive without losing any territory. Let all who gave their lives for the country be never forgotten.

:salute:

Someone to Trust

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Intelligence reports confirmed the Navy of Vinland was vastly outclassed by the navy of the Dagonl'nu. By the time this could finally change, the existing ships now would probably be long obsolete. Thus, to reduce high maintenance costs, all larger vessels are abandoned, as the navy prepares itself for a new mission: the exploration of new lands.

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Having three masters of mint was very helpful for Vinland, but not enough to maintain army and navy at maximum maintenance. With the disbanding of the Carracks, the military of Vinland stopped being a burden to its economy, and soon surplus State funds would allow for investing into merchants to reach into the wealthiest trade cities of Europe such as Venice. The horrors were over. Now it was a time of peace, recovery and of growing enough in economic and military might to one day prevent this from ever happening again, by crushing the vile People of Dagon for once and all.

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With no incidents other than the occasional pirates vying the emeralds of Smaragdur, the gold of Innu or the tobacco plantations of the capital, and some less civilized locals raiding settlements with or without success, there was time to look abroad for news. It seems England may be close to its doom, for the combined Gaelic and French navies have proved themselves sufficient to defy the English navy long enough for transports to unload invaders into the island in support of Britannia's struggle against England.

( Note: Speaking about pirates, now raids almost never happen in poor potato trade good provinces, but it they are more frequent in provinces with valuable spices, plantations or precious metals. My fix to the infamous PIRATES! events worked. They also apply to Barbary ones who will almost never raid provinces to fill their ships with stinkin' cheap millet, and also to Barbarossa )

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Other Norse lands were having equal if not worse difficulties and threats than Vinland recently did. For the Teutonic Knights, sworn to fight heathens and HERESY! for the Catholic Church, crushing the "Great Apostasy" within the Holy Roman Empire, as the Catholics call the abandonment of the Christian faith, of the Holy Roman Empire and the revival of the Norse faith by much of Northern Germany and Netherlands, was a matter of "honor". When they marched triumphantly over the city of Kleves, the very heart of the Great Apostasy, they thought themselves victorious, that now people would return to the Church if they tortured and killed a few as "examples".

The Teutonic Knights were wrong. Failing to subjugate the people at Kleves and elsewhere, they had to content themselves to dividing the German heathens of Kleves into two smaller realms by force of treaty.



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The lack of centralization was always a burden for Vinland. Taking measures to make the government more effective at organizing and supporting an army and a proper defense was of critical importance considering the massive threat they face from not only the Dagonl'nu, but also from all natives around them other than the Wyandot.

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Although they are not persecuted in recent times, save for the occasional burning of Churches by certain Norkers, mostly of Norwegian descent, with their faces painted in black and white while they perform an unusual and quite recent musical style which combines traditional Norse music with a screaming and guttural vocalization of excerpts from the Poetic Edda, the Catholics still oftenly rise in rebellion, usually because they were manipulated as expendable puppets of foreign agents rather than in a spontaneous form.

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The truce with the Dagonl'nu is far from a complete truce. Their far more savage brothers, having no reason to respect such treaties, continue to attack Smaragdur with violent raids.

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No threat rose greater for all in Europe than that of the Ottoman Empire. However, they went too far for their own good, attracting the rage of powerful nations which attacked them together, including the powerful Papal State which proclaimed a Crusade against the worst turk which many Catholics answered, resolute to remove them from Europe.

(Note: I forgot to disable a stupid ubikebab event that turbo-annex Trebizond for worst turk and Seleukeia was using the same tag. Now I fixed that )

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There was no lie about peace existing. Innsmouth-look people were moving in to settle the uninhabited areas of Innu, as if the native raids weren't enough evidence the war against the eldritch gods and their followers just had an interval.

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In November of 1466, the long isolation of Vinland in relation to Europe was changing. Wealthy merchants returned from Europe to the New World, spreading with them knowledge and new technologies, while foreign merchants likewise began to become far more frequent in the markets of Odinhóll, specially from European countries with a strong merchant tradition. Vinland had one of the most bustling centers of trade of the world, second only to Venice right now. The winds of modernization were not resisted, no matter how many short term problems such reencounter with Western Europe could cause.

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By the end of 1466, the Teutonic Knights were coming to a steep decline not even their victory against the Duchy of Kleves some years ago could stop. Now attacked by their former allies, because Poland has grown tired of their insolence of ruling over clay which is rightfully theirs, and is determined to take it back by force.

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Specially in pagan Germany, the practice of parts of the pantheon becoming more valued than others has risen, as for example temples to Freyr and Freyja grew naturally more popular than those of other gods among heathen Dutch sodomites. Although direct State support to such developments was anathema to the traditional Norse faith, times were changing, and Vinland needed every help it could, even if it meant not giving as much merit to all gods as they deserve. Considering the name of their founding father and the values that shaped the birth of their nation, it was no surprise that Týr, the somewhat neglected even-handed god of Justice has become the centerpiece of Norse faith in Vinland, and finally the Republic formally recognized the already established fact most temples in the country were dedicated to Týr.

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Putting such trust in the god of Justice was the last measure of Leif Sigurdsson before he finally died in 30th of April of 1468. Another great Consul, who led the country through one of its Darkest Hours, who never lost hope in what appeared to be hopeless, his deeds and the deeds of all heroes who protected Vinland won't be forgotten.

:salute:

May Eilert's superb diplomatic skills be put to good use.

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Through the years of peace Vinland was rising as a prosperous and powerful merchant power capable of even competing with Venice. Meanwhile:

In the year of 1470, the decline of England was more than definite. Welsh, Scottish, Irish and Breton soldiers triumphed over the traditionally Gaelic Cornwall, while France boldly prepared another naval invasion to crush England for once and all.

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Tired of constant raids by degenerate savages, in September of 1473, the inhabitants of Smaragdur decided it was about time to strike back, and the Republic deployed two thousand of their Condottas to help them in the purge of the xeno, mutant and eldritch. Their purge was successful beyond expectation, with hundreds of mutants slaughtered and even some valuable stashes of loot seized from their hideouts. This was needed victory for a province that has been depopulated twice by such foes in the past.

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In 1476 the relatively calm rule of Eilert ended as he died of natural causes. He was succeeded by Birger Egilsson, an incredibly skilled warrior and administrator.

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The Ottoman Empire expanded as fast as it now declined. Surrounded by enemies and under a massive crusade, their immense and reviled empire was losing in every front.

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In 1477, Vinland became one of the greatest merchant powers of the world, second only to the Hansa. Their merchants, not content in controlling most of the trade in Odinhóll, returned to the Old World, in places where the lure of the money was always stronger than religious differences. Alexandria and Venice became their homes away from home, from where they brought back both great wealth and few good ideas they missed from their previous centuries of isolation.

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Who's raising the white flag and shouting "Merde" now? France and Britanny, long united as allies during the 100-years war, now stand close to their most glorious victory ever. The decline of the Ottoman Empire is an incline compared to what is happening in England.

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Prepare for the End

Unfortunately Birger Egilsson died before his first term ended, and the new Consul elected for the job, Birger Leifsson, was not really much to write about, but at least he wasn't terribly incompetent either, and thanks to his personal charm (+2 diplomacy) he was a capable, if not great Consul.

While he assumed the rule of the Republic, a major evolution in the way Vinland soldiers fight was happening. It was on its final steps, an evolution that would, together with the massive expansion of the army funded by overseas trade, give finally the command of the fate of the New World back to Vinland.

For too long they have cowered in fear. Now, with Twelve thousand soldiers and two thousand knights, all they need is one more advance in their ways of ground warfare, and then they will have the choice, if risky, of making the vile Narackamous and his mutants pay.

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They breed like fishes! They population grows almost ten times faster than ours! Their macabre science evolves in a way that could one day make their armies completely invincible and capable of subjugating the entire world. If we do not destroy these horrors now that our military has evolved into something truly glorious and worthy of Týr's heroism, Odin's berserkergang and Thor's strength, we may never have a chance again. We will not stand idle while our enemies and enemies of mankind grow. This must come to an end!

Forward sons of Týr, not with repeating crossbow but with greatsword in hand and steel in your hearts! Fight for our land and for our people with courage and strength, and let the Berserker rage in to avenge our fallen! If we wait they will grow so strong we will never manage to defeat them. The time has come to:

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EXTERMINATE THE MUTANT!
 

marooned

Liturgist
Joined
Dec 18, 2009
Messages
313
Ain't Iroquois the little jerk allying themselves with the horror. I expect you'll spare no troops to convince them of their wrongness. And what's up with your rulers? They drop like flies.

I'd be interested in trying your mod whenever you release it. Hopefully you won't go full modder drama drunk and release it on Thursday.
 

Cassidy

Arcane
Joined
Sep 9, 2007
Messages
7,922
Location
Vault City
And what's up with your rulers? They drop like flies.

Side effect of fighting Prisoners of Ice for too long.

I'd be interested in trying your mod whenever you release it. Hopefully you won't go full modder drama drunk and release it on Thursday.

I'm doing this Let's Play to test it first as well.

========================================

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Victory at any cost

For the fallen ones

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The armies of Vinland were ready for war in 10th of May of 1480. Aware of the vast numerical superiority of their foes, they, with some grief, scorched the provinces of Smaragdur and Nyr Kópavogur so that their foes would be drastically weakened during the sieges. Meanwhile, a bold plan was to be set in motion.

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The Berserkers of Vinland advanced into Kwedech to support the Wyandot's siege. Bravely, they assaulted the walls, indifferent to the nature of the things defending them. Zweihanders cleaved tentacles by the dozens, and in the end, their utmost bravery made the difference to the conquest of the province. The remnants of the defeated and vile garrison were exterminated without mercy, for their existence is a mockery of humanity and of the gods. It was a costly victory, but still victory, and there were enough Berserkers yet to teach a lesson to the Iroquois savages and traitors of the human race.

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Unfortunately, while the Berserkers claimed victory in the north, the horrors of the Dagonl'nu swiftly attacked Freyhóll, and the Sleipnir Knights had no chance against such dishonorable ambush. They all died, but their memory will live forever. Their lives shall be avenged!

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Putting the Iroquois out of the conflict was urgent, but it would be optimal to make them pay a high price for siding with inhumanity. Thus the Berserkers conquered another fortress, slaughtering the savage rabble within which never had a chance against such brave warriors.


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After one year, the war was taking its toll, and the severe lack of new recruits was showing again, as the Berserkers were now reduced to almost half of their initial numbers, and the vacancies left by those who crossed the Bifrost were beng reinforced at a sluggish pace. Nevertheless, the subjugation of the Iroquois, for now priority over the fight against the vile horrors, should not stop here. They must learn a lesson in blood and tears! And thus while at first their weakened and isolated forces were slaughtered, now the forces of Vinland courageously marched right into their capital to crush them while there was time.

Fortunately, as Consul Birger Leifsson was a mediocre general, a new, somewhat better man for the job has risen. Angartýr Olavsson, with his superior skill in leadership during melee combat, was far more useful for an army that right now dismissed most ranged weapons to embrace mighty blades.



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The pressure was immense, and fighting over two fronts difficult. Vinland couldn't afford to lose ground so close to their capital, and thus they were forced to abandon the fight in Iroquois lands, after wiping out more of isolated Iroquois armies. In response to the fall of Thorhóll, Angartýr Olavsson marched with his army to liberate it, which they did without major difficulty because their enemies left only a pitiful garrison behind, dutifully purged as the unclean mutants they are.


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While the war was close to reach its third year, the Republic grew stronger. More centralized, more effective, more efficient and more capable of uniting people to stand together for the great goal of becoming powerful enough to survive through whatever may come through colonial expansion, exploration and discovery.

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In 18th of September of 1482, Mohawk was conquered by the mighty Berserkers. The Iroquois suffered devastating losses, with countless thousands of their savages sent to Hel. They were broken sufficiently to agree to very harsh peace terms: they were forced to cede Seneca to the Wyandot and pay extremely heavy indemnities to Vinland, indemnities that could prove themselves critical to turn the tide of the war once it becomes necessary to hire large mercenary forces with such gold because of the lack of manpower.

Now Vinland could finally concentrate on the greatest threat, which was had already overran Smaragdur and Freyhóll, but scorched earth was making them pay a heavy price for their advance. It was time to push them back. Now, just like the way the hubris of the Iroquois was handled, there can be no compromise, only victory. Once the vile legions are in the right place and weakened by attrition, mercenaries will be recruited to support the weakened army of Vinland, but for now, they must wait patiently for the right moment to strike.

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Even in these dire times of war, to refuse to catch up with Western Europe, to refuse to adopt the good innovations from the Old World that they missed would be but a slow suicide. Thus, once again, through ideas exchanged within the great trade city of Odinhóll and brought by her merchants overseas, Vinland gets rid of all that delays her advance.

Through the next years, a war of strategic maneuver and scorched earth was waged. Until they arrived. Over ten thousand at the scorched lands of Nyr Kópavogur, at the gates of Odinhóll, mutants and horrors resolute to claim the greatest dry land city of this continent for themselves, to pillage its wealth, now dwindling by the ravages and exhaustion of war.

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Many mercenaries were hired, including one thousand knights who barely made it out of Nyr Kópavogur in time, naturally scorching it before leaving it behind to make their enemies pay a high price for their siege. The foes were focused on trying to clear a way right into Odinhóll, and thus a group of mercenary crossbowmen advanced to liberated Freyhóll.

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:salute:

They succeeded, and even better, inspired by the tales of heroism, by the selfless sacrifice and immense courage of the berserkers, courageous Norsker patriots rose in arms against the vile monster occupying Smaragdur. Now if only the gathered mercenary army could be enough to crush the massive enemy army approaching the capital.

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In 15th of February of 1486, finally the brave patriots freed Smaragdur, naturally torching all Innsmouth-look degenerates of the enemy garrison who tried to hide, but were too obvious to blend amidst the population. After they answered their duty so honorably, they returned to their daily lives, aware they were not soldiers.

But Nyr Kópavogur fell, and now the legions advanced right into the capital of Vinland. Realizing their threat, general Angartýr Olavsson made a difficult choice: he ordered for Odinhóll to be scorched and abandoned it, hoping the garrison would hold out long enough for the besieging army to be sufficiently weakened for them to stand a chance of victory.

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Rapidly, they advanced over the recently conquered province and liberated it in a very brief time, thanks to the great elan of the greatswords. Although Innu and Markland were lost, and Vinland was under siege, the tide of the war began to show signs it could chance. This time, Vinland stood a chance, if remote, of victory. If they manage to slaughter the thousands of aberrations surrounding their great city, then there will be hope.

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In May of 1486, the Wyandot began to advance against the half-human mongrels, and successfully liberated their rightful lands of Kwedech. For them to have it back would be one of the minimum demands Vinland hoped to turn the tide of war far enough to secure.



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In July Odinhóll began to show signs it could collapse soon. It was then that general Angartýr took a decision that would prove itself crucial in the outcome of this war: he ordered his men to halt, patiently biding his time to attack as late as he could without Odinhóll falling, for the long he waited, the more attrition weakened the foe and the more, even if by few dozens each day, the reinforcements arrived to his army.

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Swords Drawn

Naval blockades they would stand no chance of defying even when they still had their carracks, war exhaustion and the loss of the gold mines of Innu took a heavy toll over the Republic, to the point it lost its status as a medium power for the time being. Should they emerge victorious now that the time to drive the out of Odinhóll was almost at hand, should their economy recover enough for the several loans they were forced to take to keep their mercenaries paid, bringing them to near bankrupcy in these hard times, such status of being a small power will definitively come to an end. By late September, Angartýr finally ordered his men to attack the enemy forces besieging their capital. The most important battle of this war would begin. Most important and most difficult, for despite in numerical superiority, most of the armies of Vinland were mercenary crossbowmen, and their foes remained superior in battle.

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Victory! A massive enemy army now reduced to nothing. Six thousand of their wicked horsemen slain. While it may not appear so, this was a much greater victory than all previously won in this war. It was the first time in history a massive Dagonl'nu army was defeated. Swords of metal and flesh-metal clashed. Courage defied inhumanity, and no matter what fear these creatures could project to rout the weaker and poorly led, they were chopped like a bowl of paella! Then burned of course because it's better to starve than to be contaminated by such filth in the stomach. The Berserkers in Vinland and the Zweihandersöldners in Kleves, boldly challenging the might of the Holy Roman Empire and of the Norse and Teutonic Orders, were becoming true legends of their time.

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With an once twelve-thousand strong army of mutants utterly exterminated, the Dagonl'nu now beg for a white peace. Their envoys were burned alive, because every Innsmouth-look abomination that dies is a small step for the protection of humanity. No matter if this war almost bankrupted Vinland, there will be no peace until they return at least some of the righful lands they stole, either Kwedech or Furðustrandir, once part of Vinland before it succumbed to eldritch cults.

With the southern territories mostly secured, Angartýr Olavsson advance to meet up with the Wyandot armies.

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They arrived just in time to chance a losing battle into a victorious one, and soon their foes would lose even more ground. The hallowed lands were now proving themselves not so hallowed and impenetrable as once thought. Their siege of the island was taking ages, and while the largest part of their army was there, more and more of their lands were falling.

However, Smaragdur was collapsing again, and as they advanced to meet their foe, the region fell one more time. They couldn't allow that, and thus, the armies of Vinland tried the impossible: to defeat the legions of the Great Old Ones' minions without a vast numerical superiority, against an army made mostly of cavalry.

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Skalds will immortalize the feats of the Army of Vinland in this 22nd of June of 1487, for they were truly heroic deeds. Where most would run screaming for help, they persevered and fought with the strength of many men, letting the berserkergang flow in the form of a glorious slaughter that, even as it did cost almost a thousand of their lives, drove even monsters to retreat and run away, securing Smaragdur and making the foe even more desperate. This was one of the greatest victories ever achieved in the history of Vinland.

:salute:

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And what chance would the skeleton garrison occupying Smaragdur stand against such paragons of courage? None, for all were purged following that day of greatest glory.

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Thinking their mutations and twists made themselves superior to the pure, they counter-attacked in numerical inferiority. The consequence was their complete annihilation with minimal casualties in Vinland's side. The war was shifting in favor of Vinland, but the island was also falling, and once it fell, another massive army would return south, while the economical hardships made keeping the mercenaries for much longer impossible. To pressure their enemy into accepting harsh treaties, they continued to advance even in such diminished numbers.

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Unfortunately, one of the weaknesses of a Republic was its vulnerability to corruption from both inside and outside sources. A traitor was inside the Parliament, another cultist in secret, but unfortunately, he proved himself elusive enough to not get caught. The political scandal of this event caused a ruckus in Odinhóll, where the people wanted the traitor hanged, indifferent to the complete lack of evidence to point who is this traitor.



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In February of 1488, Vinland is tired. Rebellions were just a matter of time now. There was one thing in their favor however. By the end of 1490 Kwedech would be occupied long enough by Wyandot to be seized, and then, even if costly, victory over both the Iroquois and the Dagonl'nu could be the final result of this war.

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This was not an enemy that they would get rid of easily even if they weren't exhausted by war. Their capital is an island. A navy can form a mighty wooden wall to protect it, which means Vinland may need many more centuries to be able to truly defeat them for once and all.

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The term of Birger Leifsson ended. Wars could not stop the processes of the Republic: a new Consul was elected, a much more capable consul than his predecessor. His incredible administrative skills will be crucial to hasten the recovery of Vinland from the ravages of war once this is over. Leif Bjelke is exactly the man the country needs now.

Meanwhile, the enemy greatest legions advanced. Kwedech would soon be in Wyandot hands, just one more year... this war will not end without any results.

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It was hoped the conquest of Kespek would be enough to speed up the end of the war, but they were wrong. The enemy refused to negotiate on ceding any territory.

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But there was nothing they could do in the next year, when the Wyandot finally formalized their long de facto control over their rightful territory of Kwedech. We might have failed to conquer any land in this war, but we have weakened our foes, and our only brothers in the Norse faith in this continent have grown stronger. Now we had no chance of achieving more. This was turning out into a victory, a tragic victory that came with a high cost for both our country and the Wyandot, but still victory.

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Now only faith could put an end to this war. Vinland reached the limit. They couldn't afford to continue fighting much longer. The successful conquest of another enemy territory by the Wyandot before other regions fell to the enemy was the only thing that could give enough leverage for a peace treaty that does not involve any loss of land or claims for the country.

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The Wyandot captured another of the Dagonl'nu provinces by the end of 1491. Realizing the precarious situation of Vinland, Leif Bjelke ordered the mints to print as much coin as possible until finally there was enough by the beginning of the next year to strike a deal with their foes that would end the war. While technically such payment of a tiny tribute was a pyrrhic victory for the foe, in the end, the outcome of the war was a significant victory for Vinland and Wyandot. Both nations may have paid a heavy price for this victory, a truly tragic victory, but even as the people suffer with the economic hardships 12 years of total war with inhuman monsters brought, there is a stronger change in the psyche this event brought. For the first time in the history of Vinland since conflicts with the horrors began, there was genuine hope in a chance to end this, to defeat the People of Dagon, to purge the horrors from these lands. This war proved Vinland could defeat their greatest enemy, no matter the cost. They simply weren't ready yet for the final and definite victory, but these 12 years, in all their pain, in all their glories, in the heroic feats of the berserkers,

They shall never be forgotten.

TO BE CONTINUED
 

JagreenLern

Erudite
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2010
Messages
1,061
Location
Compton, California
MCA Project: Eternity
Epic moral victory. Now it seems Vinland actually has a chance.

Also, small point, wouldn't Vinland's governing body be called the Althing instead of the Parliament?
 

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