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Eteenpäin - A Finnish AAR

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Corporal
Feb 2, 2007
37
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It was late evening. Snow was falling gently from the sky as the farmer chopped logs in front of his family’s modest farmhouse. His small son, covered in heavy wool against the cold, watched his father silently. His father systematically swung his axe down unto the logs, creating the firewood that would keep the house warm for the night. At that moment, in that time, it was the most important thing in the world. Or so the farmer thought.

He heard horses in the distance, down the front path that led away from his farmhouse to the town several miles away. He stopped swinging, panting and sweating in the snow, and raised his head. He could see several riders slowly making their way towards his house and farm. He quickly told his boy to go back inside, while he put down his wood axe and put on his shirt. The riders had the look of nobility of them as they came closer.

“Forgive me, my lords,” the farmer stated in Swedish, as the riders came to him, “my Swedish is very bad. I am a Finnish farmer.”

“Then rejoice, oh farmer of Finland!” Exclaimed the lead rider in Finnish. The Farmer was taken aback, for nobles were all Swedish! “Today is the most important day of your life, and ours, and everyone’s!”

“I do not understand my lord,” the farmer replied, now also in Finnish, “what is so special about today?”

“Today, our demands and requests to Sweden have finally been granted! Why good farmer, today, we are FREE! You now live in the sovereign nation of Finland!”

The farmer was shocked! It could not be! They had all lived under the Swedish kings forever! The riders saw his shocked face, and laughed a merry laugh. They handed him a bottle of spirits and a few marks, telling him to go celebrate with his family. They then rode off to the next farm, and the next. Because today it was the day. From this day forth, Finland would always go forward!


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The Finnish Coat of Arms
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Welcome to my second (and hopefully much better) AAR.

I'm using the standard v1.1 EU3, setting on easy because I want a chance for Finnish world domination :D . There has obviuosly been some editing done to create the game, Paradox had a Finland file but being historical, it doesn't actually ever enter the game (ie no province has a owner = FIN date), and also it was a horrible brown colour, so i decided to change that. And the flag to modern day. And the province names and capitals, and moved the Finnish capital to modern day Helsinki. Everything you see is complete fantasy (for example, Helsinki didn't even become the capital till after the Russian takeover, sometime in the 1800's) and in 1453, i somehow doubt places had their Finnish names officially :). This will dispel the few Finns and historians who know about Finland. This AAR = FANTASY. And I hope it's a good one. :cool:

And now, the piece de resistance, Finland at game start:
finland1.png


Updates to follow
 
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Hi there Kelendor ! Good luck on this second AAR of yours , so far it looks excellent ! I'll be keeping tabs ^^
 
dont expect anything soon, i just got back from a small holiday in the north, and i have to catch up on your AAR first! :)
 
Ah yes, Eteenpäin is Finnish for "Go Foward", or "Go Forth".
 
Duke of Wellington : I'm a half Finn half Australian. My countries flags inspire me. So it's the good ol' blue cross for me :) and thank you :)

jmtikkan : Conquer Sweden? I think I want a good relationship with them, after all, they just freed Finland without a fight :rolleyes: , but of course that doesn't stop me from diplo-annexing them :cool: . As for them russians, they just gotta go ;) .

HannibalBarca : I certainly think so!

Cyrus_The_Great : My kind of nobles :cool: , and thank you.

Veldmaarschalk : Thank you. And yes, I have a few general goals at this point.
1) Survive! Novgorod hates me at -200 and has hella bigger economy and military than me :(.
2) Expand into Novogorod :D.
3) Diplo-annex the rest of Scandinavia and the Baltic states, they are my friends! They WANT to join a culture that is beaten in straight alcoholic consumption only by the Irish!
4) See number 2.
5) Keep good relations with Brandenburg (reasons will become clear in the beginning of the next update). Try to always have as an ally, and not to be diplo-annexed until all other friendly nations already d-a'ed. Which leads to...
6) Kick the hell out of Austria when they inevitably try to inheret the Brandenburgian throne!
7) Did I mention Novogorod?
8) Expand Expand Expand! So much land in the east...
9) If I am very lucky/good, a general WC scenario.
10) See number 7.
 
looking good :)
 
Interesting goals ! It'll be good to see what happens from here on . Especially since we don't see Finland around much in regular EU games i look forward to seeing what kind of domestic and religious policies you start out and evolve with ! Hooray !
 
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Part One: Sovereign Rule​



Gustav stood at the window, his hand running through his greying temples, looking out into the evening landscape that was Helsinki. From the castle, he could no longer see people in the streets, for the seasons misty fog blanketed the entire region. A strange little country, he thought. Nothing like his native Brandenburg.

It had been a strange chain of events that had led him to the Finnish monarchy. Being but a minor prince in Berlin’s court, he had been approached by representatives of the secessionist group years ago when he had been a young man. Already then, there had been talk of Sweden setting Finland free. And the new nation would need its own king, and the Finns were looking in the Germanic lands for candidates of the same cultural stock as themselves.

Of course, Gustav had never believed it to be more than a fantasy in the minds of a few delusional and rebellious Swedish and Finnish nobles. Nationalism after all was a dangerous thing to play with. But it looked as though these nobles had real hopes and dreams for the Finnish nation, and when they had come back to Berlin last year, they had asked him and him alone whether he would be King of Finland. Gustav was sure it was just a dream! But he said yes, and signed all the documents, and heard just days later that Karl VIII of Sweden was declaring Finnish freedom!

The shock had worn off now. He resided in his castle, with some members of the European court he had brought from Berlin. Fra Angelico and Gilles Binchois, his two eccentric but excellent artists, and Adolf von Essen, his quiet and trusty economic adviser. He knew that the Finns didn’t quite like having the core of the court completely non-Finnish, but the thoughtful were quick to point out that Finland’s infancy meant that outside experience should be appreciated, so that the Finns could learn. And learn they would, from the best.


KingGustav1.png

King Gustav I and his court
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Gustav’s first order of business was the maintenance of the royal ties. Messengers had been sent to both Sweden and Brandenburg, asking to confirm the royal marriages that connected the courts, and received warm replies soon after.


RoyalMarriageSwedenBran.png

Confirmed Royal Marriage with Sweden and Brandenburg
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The armed forces of Finland were a pitiful thing. Two regiments of light pike stood in Helsinki, and nothing more. Gustav, although not the brightest military mind around, understood fully well that this would not do. While Finland’s Western border with Sweden was secure, it was the Eastern border with the Russians of Novogorod that he gazed upon with tension. When Finland gained independence, the Finns had claimed, along with the rest of their Finnish land, the town of Kexholm from the merchant republic. The Russians had vehemently declined, and had since watched Finland with a highly suspicious eye. Each regarded the other as a likely invader, but Gustav realised the truth that the more patriotic did not; Novogorod had both the manpower and the funds to crush Finland entirely, should the wrong move be made. Gustav began devising strategies to counter the Russian threat, personally taking command of the army and securing a loan from his native soil.


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General King Gustav I, and the Finnish 1st Army

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A loan from the court of Berlin
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Gustav knew he had to rule with tact and cunning to survive the treacherous times that are the birth of a nation. History would see how well he faired in moving Finland forward!







 
Paint the world a glorious pearly white!
 
Gustav's Gang looks set to put Finland on the path to glory! I was surprised to see you took a loan - do you have some fiendishly clever plan to recuperate that money and pay it back? Might it possibly involve war with Novgorod?? Anyway, good luck and I look forward to seeing what happens next.
 
An excellent update ! The story flows very well and the brooding sense of destiny tenses through these humble words ! Keep it up !
 
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