The Third Odyssey - An Elysian Tale [Redux]

[Midnite Duke]

In spite of what Charlie Daniels led us to believe, the devil always win. He will lie and cheat for that is his nature. With the Emperor suffering a stroke, the devil and the serpent are preparing to strike in the heart of Elysium. I would imagine that Elysium is very class-driven. Thanks

 

[HistoryDude]

How long can Vinland last? The (apparently) impending feudalization of Elysia should buy them some time, I guess. Or did you mean something else when you said we're about to transition from EU4 to CK3?

Congrats on defeating Osheaga. How harsh was the Haudenosaunee revenge on their enemies? How harsh was the Elysian retribution for the destruction of a patriarchate?

 

[Crimson Lionheart]

Elysian (Modern Elysian: Ilýsia, romanised: Elysian, pronounced Greek: Ηλύσια) is an independent branch of the Indo-European language family, native to Elysia, Phoinike, Arkadia, Tessarchoron, Argyrini and Antipodia and other regions of the Eirenic and Atlantic Oceans. It is the youngest of any Indo-European language, spanning five centuries of written records as the Elysian language separated from Medieval Greek. Its writing system is the Latin alphabet, which was adapted during the late sixteenth century as West European influences within Elysian culture helped diverge it further from its Hellenistic roots. The language has retained its linguistic roots within the Greek language while embracing the Latin alphabet as a cultural synthesis between the Greco-Roman heritage of the Elysians.

The Elysian language would develop over centuries and would hold a very important place in the history of the Western World. Elysian is the most spoken language in the world, primarily due to the global influence of the Elysian Empire, followed by Chinese and Hindi. It is also the most widely learned second language in the world, with more second-language speakers than native speakers. Through the expansion of the Elysian Empire, it became the dominant language in Elysium and subsequently throughout the Western Hemisphere. Elysian colonialism in the early modern period spurred the introduction of overseas locations.

Despite coming from the Hellenic language family, the Elysian language would share far more in common with Romance languages. Elysian would borrow some grammar and core vocabulary from native cultures that would be Hellenised into the Empire, while also borrowing vocabulary from Varangian and Lakonian dialects. The cosmopolitan nature of the Elysian heartlands would play a huge nature in the development of Elysian, where the great influence from Western Europe and the evolving language and identity of the Elysians would contribute to a changing shift that had occurred for generations. Generations of Western influence and further cultural divergence from their Hellenic ancestry would see the Elysians formally adopting the Latin alphabet in 1574 by Demetrios I of Elysia in an attempt to increase literacy. Popular theories about the adoption of the Latin alphabet were theorised about its adoption to aid in the ease of Western European immigrants and merchants in learning the language due to a familiar writing system, along with theories of Demertios’s admiration of the Romans and sought to emulate himself as a great ruler.

While Greek would still be used as a co-official language, it would be phased out of use during the next few generations. Both Modern Greek and Modern Elysian would trace their roots from Romaic, until Elysia’s isolation and generations of linguistic evolution would give it a ‘different yet familiar’ resemblance to Greek. Communication issues between the Elysians and Greeks would exist during the Invasion of Hellas until the normalisation of relations between the two distant realms.

Elysian is the official language of Elysia and one of the official languages in over seventy sovereign states. It is the co-official language of many international and regional organisations across the globe. It has become the de facto lingua franca language of diplomacy, science, technology, international trade, logistics, tourism, aviation, entertainment and the internet. Excluding regional dialects, Elysian accounts for sixty per cent of the total speakers of the Elysian language branch. As of 2000, it was estimated that there were over two billion speakers worldwide.
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Examples of languages using John 3:16

English: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life

Koine Greek: Hoútōs gàr ēgápēsen ho theòs ton kósmon, hṓste tòn huiòn tòn monogenê édōken, hína pâs ho pisteúōn eis autòn mḕ apólētai all᾽ ékhēi zōḕn aiṓnion/ Οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον, ὥστε τὸν υἱὸν τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται ἀλλ᾽ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον.

Elysian: Dióti tóso agápise o Theós ton kósmo, óste édose ton monogení Tou Yió, gia na mi chatheí ópoios pistévei se aftón, allá na échei aiónia zoí

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I hope everyone can enjoy this small index post. I'm certainly no linguist and I apologise for the butchering of languages in advance! If I knew how to make wikibox articles, I would have done this perfectly. Just felt like writing a small thing about the evolution of the Elysian language as its culture continued to diverge from its Hellenic roots into a far more Romanised version of itself. You could arguably say that the Third Rome is living up to its moniker and that the cultural divergence, which began under Alexios VI, is near completion. How will this affect the world at large? I guess we shall see!

In spite of what Charlie Daniels led us to believe, the devil always win. He will lie and cheat for that is his nature. With the Emperor suffering a stroke, the devil and the serpent are preparing to strike in the heart of Elysium. I would imagine that Elysium is very class-driven. Thanks

Demetrios is going to be a bastard, but he is a very competent one. This will have ramifications in future chapters

How long can Vinland last? The (apparently) impending feudalization of Elysia should buy them some time, I guess. Or did you mean something else when you said we're about to transition from EU4 to CK3?

Congrats on defeating Osheaga. How harsh was the Haudenosaunee revenge on their enemies? How harsh was the Elysian retribution for the destruction of a patriarchate?

The Dynatoi are very powerful in Elysia, since their evolution into a powerful warrior-elite class on Elysium was supported during the earliest days after the Odyssey. They are probably the closest thing to a Greco-Roman Junker in this timeline. As for the Eu4 and CK3 thing? It's less about gameplay stuff and more about the degeneracy that CK is known for.

The Haudenosaunee reclaimed their homeland, but I can't imagine that the retribution would be too serious since the Elysians got everything they wanted. The Osheaga on the other hand have been dealt a death blow that they will likely never recover from. It's only a matter of time before Vinland decides to absorb them.

 

[Midnite Duke]

How many letters make up the Elysian and Greek alphabets? Thanks

 

[HistoryDude]

I liked this post about the language.

How did the Latin influence creep into Elysian? Elysium didn't adopt the Latin language in 1574, right? Only their alphabet?

 

[Crimson Lionheart]

Chapter 24: The Borealian Lakes (1557-1561)​

Through sacrificial means to secure a future of their own, the Haudenosaunee would only seal their fate through the submission of a new master. While their Elysian masters proved to be far kinder than the oppressors that had once wiped them out, the independence that had once been sought after would permanently cease. But it would be solely because of their submission that the Confederacy would survive and continue to persist, and soon, reclaim their homeland from the heathens that had brought it to the edge of collapse. With the introduction of Elysian laws and the bounty of wealth that would flow into their lands through Elysian merchants, the boundaries that had never existed only a few years ago were blown apart. The Haudenosaunee were among some of the most privileged of the Symmachoi, but someday, the last vestiges of their independence would inevitably disappear.

The Empire would achieve complete victory against the Osheaga and Vinland through diplomacy and military might, further cementing itself as the undisputed hegemon among the continent and the rest of the New World. Flushed from its victory, Elysian ambition began to grow as its Legions turned elsewhere, aided by the inner halls of power during a period of change. Left incapacitated and unfit to rule, the Emperor could do nothing but watch as his son assumed to rule as his Regent. With complete power, Demetrios would step into the light in an Empire that was all but his in name…

Standing among each other in an alliance, the People of the Three Fires would unify into a singular entity. The unification of the Anishinaabe alliance of the Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi would quickly alter the balance of power in the region with its formation around the Borealian Lakes. Through emerging with peaceful beginnings, the Three Fires were surrounded by hostile neighbours. Elysia would be no exception, long having held aspirations around the Borealian Lakes and seeking to control it.

Shortly following its victory against Vinland, the Elysian Armies would march in formation for a new campaign to force the Three Fires into submission. Demetrios and his Generals held the belief that the Three Fires would serve the Empire better as another native subject rather than allowing its existence to be spoiled by the aggressive expansion by either Vinland or Cahokia. Some senators had opted for an outright conquest of the region under Elysian control but lacked the support they needed.

War would quickly be declared by Elysia while the Three Fires still remained diplomatically isolated. A smaller campaign would begin against the neighbouring Meskwaki and Huron before even the last Elysian solider had left Vinlandic territory This would bring almost all of the barbaroi tribes around the Borealian Lakes into open conflict with the Elysians, aided by Haudenosaunee auxiliaries.

Equipped with modern equipment and tactics, along with outnumbering the Meskwaki by several thousand more men, the region would be pacified within little over a month and a half. Led under the command of Michael Rhodocanakis, the Meskwaki would be slaughtered at the Battle of Bodewadmik, where Elysian calvary completely shattered the barbarori before the infantry would follow in pursuit and destroy the barbaroi outright.

With the Meskwaki under occupation, Rhodocanakis’s forces moved northward to secure the peninsular while the main Elysian forces concentrated on subduing the Huron. The Three Fires would be forced to act on the defensive against the Elysians, unable to match the sheer numbers and military might of the Empire to their southeast. With the Elysians preoccupied with laying siege to their fortified settlements, the Three Fires would be granted a window of opportunity to maneuver away from the fighting to strike at the unprotected underbelly of the Empire far from their homeland.

Concentrating the ferocity of cannonry with the tactical might of the Elysian strategists, the generals would capture the fortified settlement of Tahontaenrat within just over eighty days. Starving the Huron defenders within their walls after cutting off their supply and connection to the outside world, along with the sheer devastation of cannon artillery and the devastating roar of Greek Fire incinerating their crumbling defences, the morale among the barbaroi would snap

Distracted by their ongoing occupation, the Three Fires and Huron would take their brief window of opportunity to evade the Elysians and march straight into their own lands to bring the fight against them. Realising how exposed they had become, the generals quickly ordered the return of their armies back to Elysia to combat the mistake of allowing their guard to be lowered. While fortunately finding the chance to strike the Empire, it wasn’t an unexpected tactic. The Empire had kept two of its veteran armies around the Vinlandic border and the northeastern themes in the event of a Vinlandic raid or attack, quickly springing into action to tie down the barbaroi warriors while two more armies marched back from the occupied native lands and went into pursuit.

Domestically, the mere incursion of a barbaroi army upon Elysian territory was enough to spring public opinion against the Emperor. The Senate was outraged at the lack of care taken to defend the region as Senators bickered among themselves. Regent Demetrios quickly soothed tensions over with a convincing argument and placed his trust in the imperial army, as now that the barbaroi were fighting on unfamiliar terrain and were far from their home, they could be decisively destroyed.

Such a thing would occur at Ptolemais, where the Three Fires would find themselves stranded within enemy territory. Elysian scouts and vanguards would sever enemy supply lines, while occasionally conducting skirmish battles under careful reluctance by the generals to prod and poke at the barbaroi. The native armies would fight to the point of exhaustion, constantly being worn down by the enemy that would rapidly turn the tables on them, while being left to starve and fight with weaker resistance. Once the main imperial army arrived to sweep up the Three Fires, the exhausted Three Fires would never stand a chance in open combat.

Morale would collapse almost instantly upon the sight of the Elysians in the distance, and the battle quickly turned into a rout. Using their knowledge of their terrain to their advantage, Elysian units under Artavasdos Phrangopoulos would outmaneuver and crush the enemy with a devastating pincer movement conducted by the heavily armoured catapract riders while the infantry core pushed and swept through the enemy. The Ojibwe leader of the Three Fires, Ogemanukeketo Mundua, would be captured and executed alongside the rest of his men following the battle. His death would ignite a power struggle back in his homeland, exacerbated by Elysian occupation of their lands, which the Empire would use to its own advantage.

Another battle would occur at Hyni, where Elysia would fight on a relatively equal level with the Huron. The Huron would quickly secure an advantage early into the battle, forcing the Elysians to act on the defensive as the Huron inflicted damage with their ferocity. It would be a shortlived victory as overconfidence among the Barbaroi and a trap would be placed for the Huron to be led into during the battle. Retreating into a forest, the Huron would chase and pursue the Elysians behind them. Theodoros Phouskarnaki would order his archers and riflemen to remain hidden inside of the forest, remaining out of sight as the eager Huron continued to chase the seemingly defeated Elysians. Once the trap was sprung, the Huron would find themselves with nowhere else to go as panic spread among their ranks.

Arrows and bullets would scream towards them and strike the barbarous with terrifying ferocity, while the main forces would make use of the trap to encircle the Barbaroi within the forest and squeeze down upon them. Within an hour of fighting, ten thousand of the Huron would lay dead on the bottom of the forest floor. Completely annihilated, the total destruction of the Huron and Three Fires would allow the Elysians to march into their homelands completely unopposed.

With the tide of the war rapidly turning against the barbaroi, the Elysians were left to do as they pleased as its armies crossed into the enemy territory with relative ease. Villages and tribes were occupied and dealt with from varying degrees, ranging from submission from the wise and most passive who saw the futility of resisting the Elysians to outright destruction and annihilation of the most stubborn and hostile who dared to resist. Elysian commanders held a tight grip on their own forces, preventing them from allowing their anger to boil over and conduct atrocities against an already defeated foe. Rapists and thieves within the Elysian ranks were quickly found and executed, setting a strong example to those who would dare defy the Empire.

The Meskwaki would be conquered once the peace had settled within their region, seeing their lands annexed into the growing empire. Many among them would be enslaved, but the majority of the Meskwaki were left to their own devices as new subjects. Like all of the tribes that the Elysians would absorb or conquer, the Meskwaki would be no different. Elysification efforts would begin from the top down as missionary and reorganisation efforts sought to Hellenise the natives over the span of a few generations.

Victory would follow shortly after the conquest of the Meskwaki, where the tribes among them would surrender to the Elysians. The Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi would come together before the generals that had brought them to submission, flanked by a sizable amount of diplomats and Symmachoi translators who would communicate between Elysian and Ojibwe dialects. The atmosphere remained grim as a sense of doom loomed over the heads of the leaders of the Three Fires, who were struggling among themselves over leadership disputes, ready to lament the destruction of their tribal identity.

To their surprise, the Elysians would present far more generous terms to the Three Fires. The Elysians sought to establish the Three Fires to the Empire but would be granted preferential treatment like the Haudenosaunee, to serve as a native buffer state between Elysia and Vinland around the Borealian Lakes. All of the positives and negatives of Elysian influence and law would come into their lands, such as the monolithic wealth of the Elysians pouring into their lands in the form of investments by the dynatoi and the merchants. They would lose their independence, but retain their leadership and would be exempt from certain taxes and enslavement by the Elysians. The main primary condition of these terms would be for their conversion to Christianity.

Submission to serve the Elysians would be an unexpected offer, and many within their position felt that this was the best course of action to be taken. Whispers of rejection of such a peace would only invoke the wrath of the Elysians to conquer their homeland instead, which would only grow quieter and quieter as negotiations continued. With little bargaining power, and with the terms of the peace being far more generous than expected, the Three Fires would agree in becoming the newest subject of the Elysian Empire.

With the submission of the Three Fires, a separate peace would be signed with the Huron, seeing their lands being conquered by the Elysians before seeing their ownership transferred to the Three Fires as per agreement. The Huron were to be led under barbaroi rule, only subservient to the Elysians themselves as a means to ease tension among the newly conquered lands. The Three Fires would become appreciative of the Elysians and this gesture of goodwill, cooperating more with their new overlords as the first permanent relations between one another would begin.

Taking upon the latest innovations by the Europeans, the Elysians would develop an early form of cannon artillery to be used for both sieges and defence. Long having started to invest in gunpowder weaponry and modernising its equipment, an Elysian bombard would become more widespread as it replaced older cannon weaponry. Elysian Bombards would be noticeably smaller than the European counterparts, yet were still heavy and difficult to move quickly during battle. Despite this, its use would be limited to use against infantry and calvary formations against barbaroi armies with remarkable efficiency.

Looming to the western frontier was the Cahokian Confederation, dominating much of the interior of the continent and much of the Andronikan rivers that coursed through its arteries. Cahokia would begin expanding outward in recent decades, conquering smaller tribes while establishing colonies of their own that spread across Elysium. Suffering from a rivalry almost upon the inception of its discovery, Elysia and Cahokia would suffer from a frigid relationship at the best of times to outright hostility at worst.

Elysian merchants who ventured to establish a trade presence within the native metropolis of Cahokia would find their presence unwelcome and found many difficulties earning the trust of its inhabitants. Diplomacy between the two nations would often fail, and murmurs of the mistreatment of Elysians who had ventured into their borders would slowly creap back towards the cities of the Empire. For the Empire to venture beyond the interior of the continent and control all of Andronika, the Cahokians were to be dealt with either through diplomacy or through the blade.

For generations, the Varangian Guard would serve the Empire as a military order and also as the bodyguards of the Emperor of Elysia, much like what had occurred during the era of the old empire. Recent years would see a shift in this trend, as garrison troops within the imperial capital were being replaced by the best troops from garrisons all over the Empire. Veteran soldiers would come to serve within the capital itself rather than on a distant frontier, and while some would believe that it would be to the detriment of the frontier defences, these soldiers would be rewarded with increased compensation and prestige for serving within the capital.

In 1559, Regent Demetrios would launch a proclamation on behalf of his father Andronikos V onto a reorganisation of a growing trend. Demetrios would officially rename the imperial guard of Nea Konstantinopolis to the ‘Epilektoi’ (The Chosen Ones) and select the elite of the elite as bodyguards of the royal family and its household. The Epilektoi were financed and paid from the imperial treasury and would be granted special privileges, where a lifetime of discipline and experience would see them loyal to the throne above all else. They were the greatest warriors in all of Elysium, existing separately from the Elysian Knights and the Imperial Military as an order of their own.

The Varangian Guard would be relieved of their duties as the bodyguards fo the Emperor, instead seeing their purposes alteing to serve as an elite military order made up among the faithful of the northmen. Taking more of a military role as their order evolved, the Varangians would become elite shock troops who would fight for the Empire and Christendom. Conservatives within the Order would lament this change of purpose, while the militarists and idealists would thrive at seeing themselves become among the pinnacle of serving as the guardians of Elysium.

Almost simultaneously, Regent Demetrios would issue another direct decree from the Imperial Palace. Vinlandic culture and customs were to be respected and accepted within the Empire to the same degree as Elysian and its subcultures. Both Christian and Pagan Vinlanders would welcome the benevolence of the regent for this welcome change, seeing their culture promoted among the growing melting pot of Elysia.

Loyalties among the Vinlanders to the Empire would be greatly increased as they were brought into the fold. This would see a greater success in christisation efforts among Norse converts to the true faith, while unrest plummeted among the Vinlandic territories on the Empires perephery.

Within a few years following their submission to the Empire to serve as vassals to the throne, along with developing their relationship to become amicable and welcoming to the Elysians that they now served, the Three Fires would convert to Elysian Orthodoxy through both willing converts and strict enforcement as per conditions of the peace that had been made. The Ojibwe were noticeably willing to convert, where mass baptisms in the rigid waters of the Borealian Lakes took place with the aid of Symmachoi missionaries under the authority of the Church.

Securing their victory in the southern lands of Andronika decades earlier and pacifying many of the weaker tribes of the region, Colonia began spreading further around the coastline with no resistance as droves of settlers sought to establish a presence along the Gulf. Within a matter of years, the frontiers between Spartania and Elysia would meet with one another, to the celebration of local settlers upon meeting one another. By establishing a territorial border with one another, the waters of Kykladia and the Atlantic would be blocked off from the European colonial powers from establishing a presence within Elysium itself.

Once a fear among the early leaders of the Empire and its governments, these fears would dissipate as Elysia was now granted free reign to expand across the breadth of the continent with almost no interference from the old world. With the Europeans preoccupied elsewhere and noticeably weaker than the mighty realms of the New World, Elysia would be free to create its Third Rome in relative peace.

With these new colonia being settled by waves of colonists, the Empire turned towards the tribes of Andronika once more. Decades after the campaign into the settled territories, the tribes of the region would never fully recover from the Elysian decimation and occupation of their tribal lands. Learning what had happened to the defeated tribes, Andronikos V would become obsessed with the Andronikan lands. With his health declining and never recovering from the stroke that had paralysed him, the Emperor hoped for the Empire to conquer the region before his demise. It would not be a matter of where he would die, but when, and god willing he had the strength to see it through.

With a string of victories and with increasing ambition that was no longer being held back, Regent Demetrios looked towards completing what his father had envisioned to be among one of the most important campaigns of the Empire’s history, the Conquest of Andronika.

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I have lost a few pictures for this chapter, noticeably the peace with the Three Fires. I have attempted to piece together whatever I had into a suitable chapter. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

How many letters make up the Elysian and Greek alphabets? Thanks

Difficult question since I'm not familiar with linguistics. But I would guess 24, the same as the Greek and Latin alphabet. Hope this helps

I liked this post about the language.

How did the Latin influence creep into Elysian? Elysium didn't adopt the Latin language in 1574, right? Only their alphabet?

Elysia only adapted the Latin script, not the language itself. The Empire always had a huge Latin influence since the beginning in the form of the Latinikoi, along with both Portuguese and Western Europe influence over the next few generations. With Elysian culture evolving, it would diverge more from Greek while still remaining true to its Hellenistic roots. It is far more Roman then it is Hellenic in both culture and politics.

 

[Midnite Duke]

Thank you for the update. How does the tech stand between Elysia, barbaroi, Vinlandia, Spartania and Europeans? I think that Cahokia is around three behind Elysia in each technology.

 

[HistoryDude]

Elysia is doing well. If they're mightier than the European realms, how long will it take for them to harbor ambitions of restoring their lost glory? Or have all Elysians abandoned all ideas of reclaiming the lost lands in Europe?

If Elysia wanted it, could they avenge their ancestors by defeating the Ottomans yet?

 

[Crimson Lionheart]

Chapter 25: The Conquest of Andronika (1561-1564)​

Just over twenty years ago, the fertile lands of the basin would be forever changed as the Legions from the east marched into the Riverlands of Andronika. Their objective was to permanently break the power of the many tribes that had lived within the region for thousands of years and march back to their homeland in triumph. Fate would be cruel to the barbaroi of these lands, having never truly recovered their strength nor pride after decades of isolation from the outside world. Elysia’s insatiable growth would see droves of settlers, soldiers, clergymen and traders establish new villages and settlements along the Gulf of Lakonia. The Empire would thrive along these coastal lands, while the tribes within the interior languished away in squalor of pride that had once been theirs.

Andronikos V had once looked upon the lands with pride and purpose, whereas a younger man, would bring the reach of his empire into Andronika. He looked among the tribes and believed it was his purpose to bring them into the fold of the Elysian realm. Sickness and time had ravaged his body since those youthful years, paralysed across half of his body and barely capable of any form of speech or movement. Yet his mind and heart were still burning with the youth that still burned within him. Feeling as if his name shared a common destiny with the Riverlands itself, the Emperor looked upon Andronika as his greatest trial, one he hoped he lived long enough to see through.

With the mobilization of soldiers across the vast territories of the empire, led under the command of the capable generals themselves, the Elysian behemoth made its intentions clear as the natives within Andronika prepared for war. The Empire would return to Andronika, and this time, they were to stay. War would be declared against the strongest of the tribes, the Muscoge, with the full intention of the natives to bring their allies into the conflict.

As the first allagion crossed the rivers, it would herald the beginning of the next imperial conquest of the Third Rome. On a brisk morning in August 1561, the Conquest of Andronika would begin.

Three of the finest commanders in the Elysian Empire would take responsibility for the men under their command, all of them coming from the powerful aristocratic families of the Dynatoi that had emerged following the flight from the Old World. Emerging from the earliest days after their establishment upon Elysium as a militarised class of warrior-elite, the three generals leading the campaign all shared an experience of being educated and trained in the ways of an Elysian Knight. Individually serving as both martial excellence and coming from an esteemed noble heritage, the three commanders knew the weight of the task before them.

Artavasdos Pharangopoulos, Michael Rhodocanakis and Artavasdos Syropoulos were each a veteran from campaigns across the tribes and barbaroi of the continent. The eldest among them, Syropoulos, would serve the Empire during the Conquest of Apalesia as captain in his youth. Battle-hardened and armed to the teeth, the three generals would cross the rivers and embarked on their campaigns.

Within the first stages of the conflict, the Empire would be fortunate with an early decisive victory at the Battle of Chickasha. Forces under the command of Michael Rhodocanakis would successfully defeat a larger enemy force with light casualties while inflicting an important blow to the enemy barbaroi that forced them into a rout from the battlefield. To the surprise of Rhodocanakis and the soldiers under the command, the barbaroi he had fought against had adapted to calvary exceedingly well, theorising that the natives had tamed and were becoming proficient with escaped equines that would migrate westward towards the interior of the continent, allowing far more maneuverability and speed among their tactics.

Another separate conflict would begin against the Hasinai and their allies, soon bringing in almost all of the Andronikan tribes against the Elysians as the imperial armies continued to lay siege to the Empire. The Caddo and Quizquiz would aid the Hasinai, while the Casqui remained refused to aid their call to arms. Only two of the tribes would not fight against the Elysians, aligning themselves to Cahokia as a deterrence to the Elysians.

In spite of this, Elysian soldiers made a deep push towards the interior of Andronika as open conflict transitioned into siege warfare and offensive tactics. One by one, with no reinforcements coming to their aid, the tribes began to fall under the occupation of the Elysians as they slowly moved into the interior of the river basin. Strong examples would be made for any hint of rebellion, as defeated tribes would be openly decimated and rebellious ringleaders would be executed.

Elysian slavers would follow behind the Elysian armies and hunt down women and children to sell at the slave markets, while the cruellest among them would hunt down young boys. While not a part of the Imperial Military by any means, the cruel institution would leave a terrifying presence among the lands that were illuminated by the ‘light’ of the Elysians.

After two months of concentrated bombardment and having all of its supply lines severed, the Hasinai would surrender to the Empire. Its garrison would be allowed to march out with their arms and pride but would be left utterly demoralised and starving at their surrender after persisting against the Elysians for so long. Some of these defenders would die shortly after the siege from starvation and disease, while some willingly surrendered to join the Elysians for as little as a loaf of bread to sate their hunger. The Elysians would ensure those who joined them would be treated fairly while treating their enemies without mercy.

Following the Fall of Hasinai, the loss of the area would become strategically important to the imperial war effort. Control of the area would allow the Elysians to bypass some of the native fortifications and strike deep into the heart of enemy territory, bypassing the necessity of a long siege.

Shortly following the collapse of the Hasinai’s resistance, the Caddo would quickly follow after a short siege against the fortifications at Kadohadacho . Within six months, much of Andronika had fallen to the Elysian advance as an unstoppable tide of steel and fire evaporated any native resistance against the Empire’s might.

Joining their armies together within enemy territory to coordinate strategy and organise their supplies, the Elysian armies under Michael Rhodocanakis would march against the Andronikan natives as scouts reported large barbaori movements within the periphery of the Andronikan wildlands. Fortunate environmental conditions and completely outnumbering the natives twice over, the Elysians would destroy the barbaroi at the Battle of Pahatsi. Left with no match against Elysian Steel and their numbers, the Barbaroi would go down fighting to the very last man.

Michael Rhodocanakis (1535-1594). Born into the militant aristocracy, Rhodocanakis was educated and raised as a model of an Elysian Knight. He would become the Grandmaster of the Knights of St Ioannes in his later years. ​

Destroying the barbaroi down to the last man at Pahatsi would earn a monumental victory of the Elysians, signifying the early collapse of the Andronikan tribes against the advancing Elysians, who would break apart into their singular units once more and worked to occupy the defenceless natives in detail. The battle would earn great prestige and fame to Michael Rhodocanakis, the youngest among the generals, for his decisive victory. It would here that Rhodocanakis would cement the beginning of his legacy, one that would carry on for much of his life after leaving the Imperial Army years later to serve as an advisorary role.

With the victory at Pahatsi, the remaining barbaroi would be swept aside and crushed as the Elysian armies marched throughout the occupied lands. Andronika would be pacified at the edge of the blade, as thousands of years of tribal identities would be swept away with the rising tide of imperial might. Only through the mercy of native collaborators would the tribes retain some level of importance within the Barbaroi Councils, yet their independence was to be lost.

The twin victories of the wars would result in an important victory for the Elysian Empire, pacifying almost the entirety of the Andronika as the riverlands were brought under the heel of the conquerors. The Elysians would lose thousands of their own during the conflict but would inflict many times their number against the multitude of barbaroi tribes.

Within Andronika, the status quo would forever be changed following the victory of the Elysian Empire over the region. The imperial conquest of the region had become a wild success, where the tribes were annexed into the expanding frontier of the Empire and safeguarded by a strong military presence. The tribes of the region were displaced and largely destroyed, permanently losing their power and were to be ruled by their new overlords. Learning from the trial and error following the Conquest of Apalesia in the decades past, and having only improved since then, the western frontier of the Empire now reached deep into the Andronikan territories.

The Imperial Senate and much of the inner government went immediately to work on organising the bureaucracy of the new territories, while a permanent presence among the Elysians would see droves of settlers and soldiers migrate into the new region to pacify the interior. New Thema was to be organised, while provincial organisation worked to ensure the first round of taxes would return to Nea Konsantinopolis before the beginning of winter. For the Emperor, what had been destined to have been the major milestone of his reign would be accomplished. Elysia would reach Andronika and beyond. Despite falling deeper into reclusion both socially and with his declining health, Andronikos V could do nothing but smile with pride.

All of the tribes would be brought into the fold as the frontier would expand far beyond the basin, crossing into the dense forests and marshlands of the region as Elyric farmers largely moved into the region to work the land. Trade routes and large estates would be built by the wealthy and powerful to enrich the fortunes of both noble and common blood. The Imperial Army would remain behind in force, working on pacifying separatist tribes without any shred of mercy.

Despite all of this, the militarization of the state would not be weakened. Armies would march and relocate themselves across the frontier in strategic positions, moving along the edge of Cahokian territories and the remaining Andronikan tribes that fought stubbornly for independence. Sensing weakness after Elysian spies would notice the southern territories of Cahokia were unprotected, the plans were made to strike.

With over a generation of contact between the Elysian and Cahokian realms, a rivalry would emerge between the two states that only escalated slowly. Hostility would be fought through subterfuge and sabotage on both sides for years until open warfare would be declared. Sensing that there would never be another opportunity like this again, Andronikos V and the Imperial Senate jointly made the declaration of war against Cahokia.

Due to the overwhelming size of the Elysians already along the southern border, and targeting their enemies with precise engagements, the Empire would secure rapid territorial movements as the tens of thousands of battle-hardened soldiers crossed into Cahokia like a sledgehammer. Cahokian natives living close to the border would watch as Elysian soldiers and horsemen crossed into their lands, fully invested into occupying the native metropolis of Cahokia itself.

Within a matter of weeks, Elysian soldiers would venture hundreds of miles into the heart of the Cahokians until their capital itself would be under siege. Cahokias leadership would be left blindsided, expecting an attack from the north or the west from the Elysians, while also not anticipating a declaration of war immediately following the Conquest of Andronika. It would leave the barbaroi unprepared and rapidly suffering from collapsing morale, as region after region would quickly fall apart.

Its own army, having been located in their recently settled lands around the Borealian Lakes, would be left paralysed. Not risking to be destroyed by pushing towards the south, it would instead march alongside the lakes to strike at the Elysian subjects in the region instead, starting with the Three Fires.

What had been expected to be an easy victory would instead end in disaster, where Cahokian forces would instead find an Elysian garrison within the region that had relocated along the lakes in the event of such an attack. Despite having superior tactical skills, Cahokian warriors failed to do any meaningful damage to the armoured Elysian warriors and their riflemen and were forced to retreat. Cahokia would be forced to march back to their northern territories in disgrace, while their heartland would be left collapsing

Within two months, the Empire would force Cahokia itself into submission as the metropolis would be encircled and then later pierced by an Elysian bombardment. With its capital now under enemy occupation, the Cahokians would see their remaining territories and fortifications collapse around them. Their allies, not heeding any warning against their foe, would be destroyed before they would ever reach the Empire's territory. Holding the leadership of the Cahokian Confederation hostage within their occupied city, negotiations for peace would not begin until diplomats arriving from the capital would finally arrive over a month later.

The peace that would be signed would be generous to the Elysians, not seeking to punish the Cahokians heavily for a conflict that was decisively in the Empire’s favour from the start. Elysia would seize the southern frontier of the Confederation, absorbing its territories and working to implement new administration and law, while importantly placing Cahokia itself within striking range from the Empire. The independence of the remaining Andronikan tribes would be annexed into the Empire, where after twenty years following their campaign to break the tribes of the region, they would finally fold and collapse into Elysia like a house of cards.

It would be through the work of a generation that Andronika would be successfully conquered and tamed by the Empire, signifying the end of what had become an era within its history. To those who had grown up within its shadow, Andronika had once been the edge of the world. Seeing these lands within the Empire during their lifetime was both a surreal and unbelievable experience for them. Arriving into the region with nothing, Elysia had brought the light of its civilization within a generation further than almost any Emperor had done prior.

The arduous task would be carried by the Elysians who would arrive to settle within the region. Relations were to be mended with the natives that now lived within the Empire. Evangelical efforts would begin to occur through peaceful and aggressive means, and life would begin anew as new villages and communities began to appear. Andronika would also see slavery expanded across much of the southern societies through its massive coastal settlements, while the most organised of the newest settlements had difficulties adjusting to the temperament and wrath of the riverlands. An age around Andronika had come to an end, yet th emergence of the next age would arrive sooner than anticipated.

Demetrios I Palaiologos (centre), Emperor of the Elysians, from the Palaiologous Tapestry, c.1560s. Highly controversial, Demetrios I would be remembered as one of the Empire’s greatest leaders. ​

Andronikos V’s health would continue its long decline that had begun in late 1557 when the Emperor suffered a severe stroke that left him paralysed on the left side of his body and partially blind. Despite signs of brief recovery, personal tragedies that would strike the Emperor such as the sudden death of his wife and the loss of friends or family would break Andronikos emotionally. He would spend his final years in seclusion inside the Imperial Palace, rarely making any sort of public appearance. Left largely incapacitated and struggling to rule, Andronikos V would appoint his son to rule Elysia as his Regent, despite the poor relationship between the Emperor and his children.

The next few years would see Andronikos V slide further into illness and disability. Another mild stroke in 1563 would leave the Emperor unable to communicate or walk, along with swallowing problems on the left side. Two months later, Andronikos V would suffer from a final stroke that would be followed by cardiac problems. Having suffered for years from poor health, his final stroke occurred in his sleep in what had been claimed to be ‘divine mercy’ from God. Andronikos V would die on January 16th 1564 and would be buried in the imperial crypt.

Succession would pass on his only surviving son, crowned as Demetrios I of Elysia. Highly controversial even before his ascension to the throne, Demetrios was known for his extreme charisma and mastery of both intrigue and diplomacy. What would make him controversial would not be these talents, but the passions of the man himself. Demetrios I was openly hedonistic and partook in the pleasures of life while being surrounded by scandals and intrigue. Demetrios was firmly aligned with the Dynatoi and Senators within the Empire, while his sinful ways were despised by the Church.

Having reigned for years as his father's Regent, Demetrios I would ascend to the throne with all of the powers that came with it. Aside from his own characteristics, he had proven himself as a reliable and dedicated leader. Now with full control over the Imperial Throne, Demetrios’s ascension would mark the beginning of the next generation for Elysia for better or worse.

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Thank you for the update. How does the tech stand between Elysia, barbaroi, Vinlandia, Spartania and Europeans? I think that Cahokia is around three behind Elysia in each technology.

Europe is slightly ahead of Elysia, although Elysias modernisation efforts are closing the gap rapidly. Vinland and Spartania are not far behind, although Elysia has a tremendous advantage in the form of European contact and their hegemonic trade across the Atlanic. Cahokia is formidable but the Elysians far outclass them.

Elysia is doing well. If they're mightier than the European realms, how long will it take for them to harbor ambitions of restoring their lost glory? Or have all Elysians abandoned all ideas of reclaiming the lost lands in Europe?

If Elysia wanted it, could they avenge their ancestors by defeating the Ottomans yet?

Elysia is doing well, but the crisis of reclamation is bound to resurface again in future generations as Elysian strength continues to grow in the New World. It will likely be something that future rulers would look into more seriously, although it is not a primary concern among them.

 

[Midnite Duke]

How does EU4 treat rivers is it one to defender die roll? Is there a difference between major and minor rivers? RIP Andronikos V, your suffering has ended. Thank you for the update.

 

[HistoryDude]

Elysia has expanded a lot here. How much does Cahokia want revenge for this humiliation?

What's the in-universe reason why Elysia didn't annex the city of Cahokia itself?

 

[Crimson Lionheart]

Andronikos V Palaiologos
Lived: October 29th 1509 - January 16th 1564
Emperor of the Elysians: 1539-1564

​

Having been raised in a world where power and politics seamlessly coexist yet rupture along one another, Andronikos V would be tutored and groomed for a throne that was left unkind to him for the remainder of his days. Showing initial promise during an eventful reign that would bring Elysian hegemony across the New World to further and grander heights, the throne itself would feel hollow with his presence. Enormous territorial expansion in almost all directions had come at a personal price to a man who was both filled with personal tragedies and an unkind heart hollowed out by disdain. Andronikos V would leave an important reign, bridging the gap between the Elysians of the Past and those that were yet to come, as perhaps the last of his generation.

Andronikos V was born in Nea Konstantinopolis as the eldest son of Konstantinos XII and Irene Karadja. Ever since his birth, Andronikos’s life began to take a different route from that of his predecessor, especially among his father. Seeking to ensure that his son had a better chance to lead the Empire he was set to inherit, Konstantinos XII spared no expense to ensure that his son received the finest education and necessary knowledge and experience to lead Elysia, which was something that he never received during his early life.

Andronikos was incredibly sheltered growing up as he was groomed by advisors and tutors, having few friends to have of his own and rarely leaving the Imperial Palace. Andronikos was noticeably cold and distant as he matured into adolescence and adulthood. The young prince would have difficulty with social interactions and communication, excessively following routines while strongly reacting to sensory input. Andronikos would struggle excessively with managing his emotions, which sometimes caused frequent and long tantrums. Centuries after his rule, modern research characterised Andronikos V as being on the Autism spectrum.

Despite this, the prince would succeed in his tutelage and education with surprising knowledge and capability. With a gifted mind that was also prone to emotional distress, Andronikos would show signs of being a capable leader who was worthy of the Imperial Throne. Andronikos was quiet yet well-educated, holding immense patience and an analytical mind that made him the complete opposite of his father. Andronikos would focus much of his early life upon learning Elysian bureaucracy and governance, something which had been drilled into him during his tutelage, and would be something that the future monarch would later excel in. Maturing into his twenties, Andronikos would play a larger role in governance yet would struggle emotionally. Once dreaming of becoming a Senator, his difficulty with communication and managing his emotions would dash these dreams, leaving Andronikos to believe that he was incapable of leadership and the responsibilities that came with it. Shortly after his thirtieth birthday, his father Konstantinos XII died suddenly.

Leadership would pass onto Andronikos and the Prince would ascend to the imperial throne as the next Emperor, a position that he had been prepared for his entire life. While lacking charisma, Andronikos’s own interest towards administration would see him becoming masterful in Elysian law and bureaucracy. Colonial expansion and the establishment of new settlements would skyrocket during the early years of his reign as thousands of colonists crossed the Apalesian Pathways to venture deep into the interior of the continent, discovering Andronika and charting around the Gulf of Lakonia. Military expansion would coincide with rapid population growth to defend the wide expanse of the Empire, while expansion would methodically move westward as the frontier started to be settled.

Andronikos V would spend much of his early reign investing in the Empire in whatever form was suitable at the time. Educational institutes would be opened across the Empire, with the largest of these being the Alexandrian Library of Kleomenon beginning construction in 1543. Nea Konstantinopolis would thrive as generations of explosive growth and the wealth of their empire would flow into the imperial capital, seeing the metropolis become a major world port and one of the wealthiest cities in the world. The Emperor would use his authority to enact reforms to bolster the Imperial Senate and the wider government, granting incentives and strengthening the aristocratic privileges of the both ancient and emerging Dynatoi families to cement their position within Elysian society.

Outside of the immediate borders of the Empire, the world around Elysia would see drastic changes that the Empire would immediately capitalise upon. Expeditions into Andronika during the 1540s would see the strength of the barbaroi tribes within the region decimated from which they would never recover from, while foreign incidents would see the Empire play towards its strengths. The acceptance of the Haudenosaunee to swear fielty to the Empire as a vassal following their crushing defeat against the Oshega, followed by the Three Fires would see both Christendom and Elysian influence venture deep across the Borealian Lakes. Total victories against Vinland and Cahokia would see the Elysian Empire reign supreme within the New World, where the Empire would humiliate both of its enemies within open combat.

In what was perhaps the crowing achievement of his reign, Andronikos V would lead the Empire to conquer and settle the Riverlands of Andronika. Slavery would be greatly expanded within the newly conquered region as a source of labour, while the Imperial Army launched its pacification campaigns to neuter or destroy any forms of rebellion from the vanquished barbaroi tribes. Once having been at the edge of the known world only a generation earlier, Andronika would be pacified within a lifetime to the bewilderment of even the Empire's own staunchest critics and supporters.

Despite these accomplishments, Andronikos V lacked happiness during the later years of his reign. As years began to turn into decades, Andronikos V would become cynical and coldhearted, yet remained righteous not to fall into tyranny. He had been a better leader for his subjects than a father to his children, and while holding some level of love for them, Andronikos was a difficult man within his own family. Despite his pursuit of leadership to serve his nation, he had a notoriously poor relationship with his children, where he was emotionally abusive to his daughters and physically abusive to his only son Demetrios, whom he despised for his hedonistic ways. Despite this, yet reluctantly asked for him to serve as his regent following his stroke. His final years would be left with heartache and declining health, as Andronikos V would suffer a devastating stroke that left him largely paralysed on the left side of his body and partially blind. Crown Prince Demetrios, acting as his father's regent who would assume all of the powers and weight of the throne, had all but taken the throne for himself in name.

Despite promising signs of a brief recovery, the sudden death of his wife and the loss of friends and family would break the already fragile Andronikos. The Emperor would spend his final days within the confines of the Imperial Palace, the same building that had served as his prison during his childhood. Knowing that he was doomed to die in the same palace where he was born, the Emperor would live his final days in seclusion. Years of poor health following his first stroke would be followed by two more. The second stroke would leave Andronikos unable to communicate and walk while leaving him largely unable to swallow and struggle to breathe.

The final stroke would occur in his sleep, where one final stroke would claim Andronikos V in his sleep on January 16th 1564 at the age of fifty-four. While disliked by his children, they would still mourn the loss of their father for all of his faults. Andronikos V would be buried in the Imperial Crypt, remembered for the man who led the Empire into the beginning of a new era rather than the man he was. He would be buried next to his wife and would be survived by his six children.

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How does EU4 treat rivers is it one to defender die roll? Is there a difference between major and minor rivers? RIP Andronikos V, your suffering has ended. Thank you for the update.

Not that I'm aware of at the least. I'm assuming there is a penalty at the least, but I haven't noticed.

Elysia has expanded a lot here. How much does Cahokia want revenge for this humiliation?

What's the in-universe reason why Elysia didn't annex the city of Cahokia itself?

I don't think Cahokia would be willing to threaten Elysia for a while. In-universe, there was no need for a full conquest other than the southern territories, which along with the rest of the newly conquered lands in Andronika would have seen the Empire greatly overextend itself. It also has a nice-looking border and a fort.

 

[Midnite Duke]

He had much sorrow for only fifty-five years. Thank you for the update.

 

[HistoryDude]

Andronikos was a good ruler, but his shortcomings in raising his kids sound like the cause of future problems. Will future Elysian rulers learn a lesson from that?

I look forward to seeing what Demetrius does... and what he unleashes on the realm.

 

[Crimson Lionheart]

Chapter 26: The Hedonist (1564-1567)​

With the passing of Andronikos V, a looming sense of change would blow across the realm like an oceanic breeze. A sense of calm tranquillity washed the lands after years of bloodshed as the balance of power upon the throne seamlessly transitioned upon its new inheritor, the youthful and passionate Demetrios. Crowned as the first of his name, his ascension to the throne had been complete after years of societal manoeuvring and ruthless cutthroat politics behind the Imperial Throne, aided by the additional experience of serving as the regent of his isolated and weak father for multiple years. After the death of his father, complete power upon the throne was his alone.

Demetrios I would be coronated as the Emperor of the Elysians with pompous ceremony and blistering charm to inspire awe upon the dynatoi. Such a ceremony would come to herald the beginning of a silent transformation of the Elysian realm upon the beginning of an entirely new generation. An Empire that had reached heights that it would never dream about within mere generations would be ruled under a unifying figure that was unlike his predecessors. Elysia would not understand the importance of the youthful charm of its new Emperor, but they would never forget one the debauchery and magnificence of who was to become the Elysian Caligula...

Demetrios would prove highly controversial before his ascension for his throne, an openly hedonistic youth desired love and lust with all of the pleasures of his life. Possessing an almost supernatural level of charisma and a knowledge for diplomacy, Demetrios had such persuasion and abilities to stoke the flames of loyalty and love within anyone that would ever serve him. It would be this innate talent and his debauchery that would lead to the future Emperor towards one of his most infamous and personal loves of his life. His sisters.

Being the only son in a family almost made up of women, Demetrios would develop forbidden love and affection within his sisters. A womaniser at heart and embracing his own immortal means, Demetrios was infamous for sex and political scandals and intrigue among his sisters and his servants. His eldest sister, Irene, was the closest thing to a true love he would ever have. Being close to each other as children, it would not be until adulthood that the two would openly confess their affection and defy their dying father. Once that Demetrios ascended to the throne, he would take his sister to be his bride.

Matrimony would not be enough to stop Demetrios and Irene. He was despised for his sinful life by the Holy Church but found waves of support among the Dynatoi who sympathised with both their liege and as a figure who would be firmly entrenched within their sphere of influence. Demetrios and Irene would not stop with one another, as Demetrios’s influence and magnetism among his sisters had formed an unofficial harem of lovers that flocked around their eldest brother.

Demetrios would take his first steps as Emperor and was ready to prove to the wider world that he was not like his predecessors in any form. Naturally drawn towards the intrigue and politics of the world he was born into, Demetrios’s natural talent and leadership would combine with masterful leanings of diplomacy to transition and merge into a diplomatic juggernaut. With his new authority and silver tongue, Demetrios would turn outward towards the wider world around his throne.

The beginning of his reign would see Demetrios transition from a sinful prince to a master of the new world in earnest. The first months of his reign would see a remarkable wave of peace, and as a member of the revered royal family, Demetrios was widely popular for his charisma and surprising benevolence. Immediately after taking the throne, widespread efforts to promote culture and festivities would be organised across the width of the Elysian Empire to the delight of its subjects. Nea Konstantinopolis and the populated heartland in particular would see a wave of colour and vibrancy within its streets and life, as a wave of Bread and Circuses would be celebrated as a means to endear him to the wider empire through the emulation of the Romans of antiquity. Demetrios would particularly love chariot racing, often spending time within the Hippodrome of Nea Konstantinopolis watching the chaotic races that the Emperor would often organise and support.

Beyond the Apalesians, a sizable imperial presence had migrated and settled beyond the ranges to settle around the fertile lands of Andronika over several decades. Religious authorities would often rely upon their local bishops and clergymen rather than the centralised patriarchate in the imperial heartland, which they would claim was too distant for them to receive proper religious guidance. The Andronikan settlers would petition one of their local bishops to be confirmed as the Patriarch for Andronika.

The Ecumenical Patriarch would take the initiative with this decision, seeking to consolidate the Elysian Orthodox church as it rapidly expanded across the width of the New World, confirming the local bishop as the newest Patriarch of the Church. A local bishop, Matthew of Chrysaoris, would become the first Patriarch of Andronika as Mathew I in 1564. The Haudensonauee Patriarchate would also see an elevation of its status, becoming the Patriarchate of Borealia and claiming spiritual authority across the Borealian Lakes and much of the northern lands.

Becoming the seat of a new Patriarchate within Andronika, Chrysaoris would be granted a seat within the Imperial Senate within the month following the establishment of its patriarchate. Settled as an agricultural hub by Elysian farmers, Chrysaoris was flocked with plentiful farmlands and served as a local granary for the southern region. With newfound importance in both political and spiritual matters, Chrysaoris would see a wave of development that would see its population and urban development double within a span of a few years. Construction of a cathedral would commence located within the centre of the town to serve the new Patriarchate as its headquarters.

The Apalesian pathways had once been a major undertaking that served to mark the land with the progress of the nation better than any other accomplishment before it, demonstrating an absolute mastery of this new land that withstood the test of time. With newfound expertise and eagerness to venture beyond the mountain range and into the western frontier, plans would be constructed within the Imperial Senate to expand the pathways westward to construct grand highways, such as those that once tied the Roman territories in the Old World. Smaller pathways would be constructed beyond the Apalesians to serve as roads to major settlements in the region to help aid with trade and expansion within their respective regions, while open wilderness and difficulty in traversing the environment beyond these pathways would hamper expansion from a lack of infrastructure.

Proposals to the Senate would be put forward by architects of two opposing factions, having drafted plans to begin the construction of their proposed paths. Phocas Palaiologos, a minor scion of the imperial house that was far removed from royal politics and succession from the throne, advocated a direct route from the capital to the expansive rivers and lands of Andronika, extending the Apalesian Pathways westward and following the Helene River until arriving in the region. A short route that combined both danger and opportunity, which in time, would form as a nexus of an Elysian Highway within the interior.

A second plan would see a longer and safer route along the coastline and around the southern lands by Alexios Pharangopoulos, who was far more cautious of the Barbaroi who still flourished beyond the mountains. In a convincing speech to the Imperial Senate, he advocated for safety and the expansion of the pathways where it would be more difficult for potential enemies to use the road networks against the Empire. In a close vote, it was decided that Pharangopoulos’s plans held more merit and interest to the Senate and were given priority for development. Construction would begin within the early months of 1565 when both slaves and labourers would start the expansion of the Apalesian Pathways, forming the basis of the Elysian Highway network that was set to dominate the continent.

Pacification efforts would commence under the Imperial Army as the Elysian soliders took a heavy approach, patrolling the wide expanse of the riverlands and eliminating any potential rebellion with harsh and direct measures. Still suffering from prior defeats, many of the defeated barbaroi lacked the strength and numbers to pose any form of rebellion against the Empire. Some of these tribes would never recover from the earlier Andronikan campaign during the 1540s and the recent imperial conquest of the region, seeing the very social structure of their own tribes break apart and collapse as they integrated into the Empire or were outright destroyed.

Coinciding with the pacification campaign, the Empire would also support dissidents and rebels within the recently defeated Cahokian threat. Supplying weapons and equipment to disgruntled peasant leaders, Cahokia would see a rebellion occur from its own subjects. With the destruction of their military by the Elysians, Cahokia was entirely unable to defend itself against the uprising. To the Elysians, seeing their rival's authority diminish while seeing the rebellion commence so quickly after such a catastrophic defeat from their prior conflict was an exhilarating thought to many Senators, holding hope within their hearts that Cahokia would never make a worthwhile adversary to threaten the Empire again.

With the bulk of the Imperial Army helping to solidify the new status quo among Andronika, deliberate embers of resistance were allowed to kindle into a flame among the Barbaroi to launch uprisings against the Empire. Focused solely upon pacification measures following the conquest of the region, along with a flexible measure to take any means to crush the rebellions, Elysian leadership would crush the rebellions. Thousands of Barbaroi separatists, fighting for tribes and identities that would be crushed under the weight of guns and steel, would be killed. Taking the lessons that had been learnt from the Conquest of Apalesia decades earlier, these measures would prove to be horrifyingly effective.

With the gap between the Elysian and Spartan realms bridged along the Bay of Lakonia, the desire for outward expansion would continue attracting settlers to new colonia as settlements began to appear along the western frontier. Through control of the regional economy along the bay and with a large presence within the coastal settlements, supplies would begin arriving from Kykladia and the Elysian heartland within the new harbours to aid in settling the new Colonia. Venturing beyond the marsh and rivers of the fertile territories and settlements along Andronika, the change of environment into open plains and arid lands would become seen as a positive indication to the Empire of the lands beyond Andronika.

Konstans Choinates (1536-1590), is regarded as one of the Greatest Explorers in Elysian history, responsible for charting the western frontier and beyond in great detail​

Exploration efforts would be organised over the span of decades to venture and cross across the width of the New World after the Empire had established its Third Rome. Optimism around the first exploratory efforts would quickly be drawn back towards careful pragmatism as a lack of resources and manpower prevented large-scale expeditions from charting along the continent. For much of its early history, the edge of the Elysian world was the Apalesian Mountains as the Empire focused solely on building itself from the ground up within the eastern seaboard. Large exploration efforts would not begin until the middle of the 16th century as Elysia's rapid growth aided in its capabilities.

One of the explorers who would herald this new change was Konstas Choinates, who was one of the most enthusiastic and hopeful about venturing beyond the lands of Andronika. Choinates would find the support of the Empire in organising a long-term expedition for what was considered to be the dream of many hopeful explorers who had been born upon Elysium, reaching the very end of this New World. Finding himself being blessed with the patronage of Emperor Demetrios I himself and with the backing of scientific institutes from around the Imperial Heartland, the expedition would struggle with finding support for the manpower needed to venture into the unknown. Thirty men would join on the expedition, along with an abundance of provisions and equipment, as Choinates soon crossed into the unknown.

With the advent of Printing, what had been considered a novelty that would allow knowledge to spread across all corners of the Empire had blessed Elysia with the distribution of great works of art or with philanthropists who sought to spread the knowledge of the classics in an easier format. Naturally, perhaps as a consequence, others would join among their ranks as less scrupulous men began to make a living in slander. Hostile publications were created and used to spread vicious slander about the Emperor and the Imperial government, undermining the legitimacy of the state.

With the maturity of the growing business, the Emperor would directly take a stance on the matter and go onto the offensive, establishing a decree of State Censorship to reduce the harm of such malicious propaganda upon the realm. The Inquisition, which had once hunted down and exterminated the Plethonist threat to the realm, would aid in rooting out the source of these hostile publications and conduct investigations. In Prosporion, a major centre of the printing business within Elysia, dozens of business owners would be arrested by the city guard and were to await trial.

With the further pacification of rebellion upon the many tribes of Andronika, Elysia would deliberately inflame tensions among the remaining Casqui until they were forced into rebellion. Under the command of Thomas Kommenos, the Casqui were deceived into rebellion and later crushed by the Elysian might of its experienced armies at the Battle of Ougachre.

Many of the survivors following the battle would be enslaved, while the remainder would be executed. Very few survivors would ever leave the battle unscathed, where the Elysians deliberately allowed them to go free to spread their stories to the other tribes against the action of rebellion against the Empire.

With years of embracing the benefits of the emerging Printing industry, alongside coping with all of the instability and hostility that the weight of the free word could carry against the government, Elysia would embrace the Printing Press openly as it became more widely accessible. Demetrios I looked upon the Press with careful admiration as he embarked on domestic reform around the Elysian language and its growing divide between the traditional Greek and increasingly dominant Latin influences within society.

Following the beginning of spring, the Choinates expedition would venture westward from the Gulf of Lakonia and venture into the wide expansive unknown. Everything that would be charted and seen among the explorers would never be seen before by Elysian eyes, documenting wonders of nature while carefully avoiding any contact with Barbaroi whenever possible. Fertile green pastures would begin to fade into wide open plains and steppe lands, before transitioning into a rough and dry desert the further that the Empire ventured westward.

The change of conditions would be documented among Choinates in his diary, which would serve as a primary resource of the exploratory period during his own expedition and the westward drive that would occur over the next few generations. Detailed contact among the tribes among the remote territories would be written, and served as the first contact among them and the wider Elysian world that would lay far to their east.

After two months of careful exploration across the desert lands, delayed by barbaroi raids and strained resources, Choinates and the explorers under his command would be rewarded with the sight of the open sea on the distant horizon. Choinates had theorised that Elysium had been connected to the lands of Asia, as many earlier explorers before him had once believed. Upon realising that he had made it to the edge of an ocean, Choinates would weep, for it was the validation of his life's work upon reaching what he had believed was the end of the continent.

Camp would be established for several days to restock provisions before Choinates was to turn his sights northwest along the undiscovered frontier that he had discovered. Elysium had proven to be an enormous land, yet despite the sheer vastness of its territory, little was known about it. Choinates would continue his work as the climate would change, preparing to venture northward into the unknown regions. In what would merely be described as the ‘Western Ocean’ in his diary, the significance would not be lost for the expedition. The Empire had made it from one ocean to the other within several generations.

Word of the discovery of the barbaroi of the desert would catch the attention of the Empire. Missionaries and diplomats would learn of the power struggle within the region with great caution and fascination while first contact would become established. Once the news had reached Nea Konstantinopolis and the other major cities of the Empire of the discovery of a ‘Western Ocean’, it would send many government offices into a frenzy as organised efforts were made to venture westward. It would become the start of an entirely new age for the Empire. An age that Demetrios I, in all of his wisdom and ambition, was eager to realise.

---------------------------------------------

He had much sorrow for only fifty-five years. Thank you for the update.

Andronikos was a good ruler, but his shortcomings in raising his kids sound like the cause of future problems. Will future Elysian rulers learn a lesson from that?

I look forward to seeing what Demetrius does... and what he unleashes on the realm.

He might have been a good ruler but he was a terrible father, unlike prior Elysian monarchs. This is bound to have ramifications generations from now, from the end of Demetrios's reign and beyond.

 

[Midnite Duke]

Demetrios' decadence could be an early footfall on the pathway of the dynasty's destruction. Hopefully, Choinates's fate will more closely resemble Williams Clark's than Meriwether Lewis'. What % is European, mixed European/native, free native and slave native? How much migration is happening between Europe and Elysium or is natural growth fueling the expansion? Thank you for the update.

 

[HistoryDude]

Emperor Demetrios I probably needed that censorship more than his predecessors would've.

Elysian explorers have reached the Pacific. Will a corresponding desire for Elysia to stretch from "Sea to Shining Sea" emerge?

Did the barbaroi write texts critical of Elysia before censorship went into effect?

Are there underground networks to distribute texts that are officially banned in Elysia?

 

[Crimson Lionheart]

Chapter 27: On the Shoulders of Atlas (1567-1575)​

Venturing far beyond the most remote outposts and settlements of the frontier, lands that had never been seen before by the Elysians and the myriad of different life that existed beyond Andronika would leave a nation in a state of bewilderment and fascination. Explorers and frontiersmen would follow the example left by Choniates and traverse around a changing expanse across the continent, charting vast untamed plans and steppe that transitioned into the rough and often brutal desert. An abundance of life would be found in the form of new undiscovered creatures and isolated yet powerful tribes among the barbaroi that would make their first contact with the Elysians within these important years. As the Elysians ventured further westward, it would not take long for those serving the Empire to establish an official presence within these regions to mediate and establish diplomatic ties with these tribes.

The most important of these discoveries was not the charting of the western frontier but of the landmark discovery of Choinates crossing the Elysian continent and arriving upon its Western seaboard. Little was known of the continent beyond the Elysian’s own sphere of influence aside from the difficulty of exploration and the sheer vastness of the continent. Elysian expansion would begin to rapidly accelerate along its frontier as thousands of settlers from all corners of the Empire would make the long journey into these lands, starting a new wave of venture and expansion. An Age of Exploration would coincide with an expansionist frenzy under the reign of Demetrios I, who was more than eager to bring his Empire to new and unreachable heights of prestige.

With the aristocratic and militant dominance of the noble Dynatoi houses across the width of the Empire, their dominance would be further enshrined into Elysian tradition. The Dynatoi would own great estates that were maintained and worked by peasants with few rights under serfdom, often outside of major cities or towns around the frontier and the Elysian heartlands. Making up of the militaristic warrior elite and political elite, and long having served as the Empire’s most faithful and troublesome pillars, the Dynatoi would be granted further military empowerment in commanding their allegion.

Briefly taking a rest upon arriving at the Western Ocean, Choinates would turn towards the northwest into the unknown regions and continue his expedition. Exploration would prove fruitful yet difficult as exploration continued. The terrain would rapidly change during his expedition as high and rugged mountains located behind the deserts of the east would give way to bountiful forests and harsh deserts to the south. A natural abundance of staple foods and the environment of the land would see a far higher population density of barbaroi compared to the natives further east, while the environmental isolation would make tribal interactions and trade with the other natives of the continent virtually nonexistent.

Choinates would push further northward, exploring both the interior and coastline over several years with detail. Limited contact would be made with the natives, avoiding violent confrontation whenever necessary, while some friendly relations would be made among Choinates and his men engaging in trade for resources. Elysian ventures would remain limited other than exploration as Choinates would venture northward, leaving the western edge of the continent as he made the journey northward into unknown territory.

Rapid expansion across the frontier coinciding with a rapid migration of settlers westward would see the Colonial Bureaus being overworked to accommodate the rapid influx of settlers. A lack of resources within the region wouldn’t deter settlers from arriving within the region and building their new lives within the region. Beyond Andronika were vast plains and steppeland that would give way towards harsh southern deserts, hugging along the glimpse of mountains that existed far into the distance.

Barely able to restrain the expansionist waves and sending expeditionary parties out into the wider continent, Elysification efforts among the local natives and the mere scale of the territories that were being settled would see a tremendous benefit to the Empire as they drove westward. Caution would be exercised among the highest levels of the imperial government, pushing for caution over fears of overextending the Empire’s vulnerable southern underbelly.

Following an influx of discoveries coming from discoveries from Choinates expedition, Elysia was interested in finding allies and starting diplomatic ties with the isolated tribes among the southern deserts. Following the lead of the diplomats, the holy church would send missionaries out into the wider continent to make contact with the isolated tribes of Elysium that hadn’t seen the light of Christendom. Evangelization efforts would occur alongside diplomatic efforts as the Elysians sought to make allies, often taking into consideration the customs and political nature of the barbaroi in question in seeking alliances and friendship.

In 1568, the Elysians would find strong diplomatic relations with the Apache, who would initially attempt to be friends of the Elysians during the Choinates expedition. A nomadic tribe who were expert hunters and gatherers, initial Elysian diplomats would find a warm reception among the Apache. Things blossomed from there, and within six months, the Apache would convert to Elysian Orthodoxy.

The Apache would convert to the faith and align themselves firmly to the Elysians, with the promise of solidification of an alliance to follow once envoys from the capital would make the long and difficult journey to the southwest frontier. The Elysians would reward their newfound ally with an abundance of knowledge and gifts, respecting the culture of the Apache and learning much from them. The Apache were, to the curiosity of the Elysians, fearsome warriors who had fought against many of the neighbouring tribes. With the Elysians now supporting their future ally, diplomatic interests turned towards the region with greater curiosity from the capital.

With the pacification of the Andronikan tribes largely slowing down, the Imperial Military would begin to serve on local patrols within the frontier to protect settlers and to defend themselves from barbaroi raids into the region. Simultaneously, the Elysians would begin to target and conquer isolated weak tribes within the periphery of the Empire’s immediate borders. The latest of these tribes, the Wichita, would see the Elysians obliterate their warriors within battle and subjugate their lands within little less than a month.

In what had become Elysian tradition and doctrine, the Wichita would see their destruction as a tribe. Using many of the doctrines that had been inherited from the Romans, the Elysians would follow much of their successful methods in breaking apart the social structure of the tribe during their violent conquest. It would be a stark reminder of the fates of the barbaroi who had either aligned themselves to the Empire as friends or the graves of those who would defy the Elysians out of hostility. Slavers would organise the surviving barbaroi to be enslaved as the Elysification began, ensuring that the tribes would never pose a threat to the Empire ever again.

Choinates’s expedition would turn towards the northwest, traversing rugged terrain and crossing through the forests of the north. The explorer would begin to turn his attention towards the tribes to the northwest around Cahokias influence while exploring the undiscovered interior between the Empire and the Western Ocean. His journey would take them into some of the most difficult terrain on the continent, becoming among the first Elysian explorers to discover what would become the Atlas Mountains.

The Atlas Mountains would become a source of great fascination to Choinates, who would primarily chart the length of the ranges over the span of several years. The scale of the mountains would stretch far into the horizon, while the environment would rapidly change on the location as alpine climates in the north would give way to prairie grasslands and hot deserts. The ranges would prove to become incredibly difficult to traverse and explore, resulting in Choinates losing some of his most experienced men during the expedition from frostbite and disease, and also nearly claiming his own life.

Simultaneously, the Elysians would begin further exploration along the southwestern deserts. Scouts and explorers would arrive on horseback into the region, completing many of what Choinates’s initial exploration of the area had theorised about the local tribes. With the Empire’s new relationship with the Apache, the Elysians would become greatly invested in the local region with curiosity, seeing it as the latest of its hurdles in its western expansion towards the sea.

As the Elysians continued their expansion outward across the continent, the Portuguese had spent the previous few generations pursuing an alternate path towards Asia. Having spent generations pursuing both a colonial and mercantile interest beyond Europe, the Portuguese would make the discovery of an East Indian Trade Route around the coast of Africa. Long having established trade outposts across Africa, along with having a formidable colonial presence within Arkadia, the Portuguese held the Southern Atlantic within their grasp.

This discovery would usher in the age of the Spice Trade, where new trade routes and the importance of controlling the following of spices had become more important than ever. With a climbing demand across the Old World, the price of precious spices would soar until they were worth their weight in gold. With the Europeans starting to partake in the growing trade, the Portuguese would hold a noticeable advantage with their control of the Southern Atlantic and an established presence within Asia. Combined with their alliance with the Elysian Empire and the trade deal between each other, led to an overwhelming dominance in transatlantic trade. The Kingdoms and Republics of Europe would watch with envious eyes as the wealth of entire empires would regularly flow into the coffers of the merchant lords of the Atlantic, growing jealous that an entirely new market would open up.

One of the most important eras of Elysian culture would silently come to an end, not marked by a beginning and not having a definitive end. The principles of the Renaissance would transform the exiled Romans into the defiant Elysians they had become. Its rebirth and the trials it would endure would gradually fade in relevance as Elysian would become more permanent and enduring in the wider world. The Renaissance had not ended but merely developed into something else, with distinct ideas and views. It would be the end of an age, it was silently followed by a new era for Elysia to leap into the modern world.

On the edge between the Elysian and Lakonian worlds, the lords of Spartania would reign over the southern civilizations of the Lakonian Peninsular with an iron fist. A highly militaristic kingdom that held complete domination of its region with blood and iron from the savagely violent conflicts between the Spartans and their barbaroi enemies, such as the Aztecs, in generations of warfare. These lords would build a formidable state upon the remains of their conquered enemies, using their newfound wealth to become capable administrators and nation-builders to transform and uplift derelict ruins and destroyed towns into new cities and societies.

Upon the streets of Lakonia and the restored metropolis of Tenochtitlan, the ethos and synthesis of the Hellenic and Native cultures would blend over the generations, adopting the best of both traditions and sharing a united Christian heritage and faith. Spartania, much like their Elysian counterparts, was built upon both its merit and slavery. Within the dense jungles of Lakonia however, and with local traditions still running through the semi-hellenised natives of the peninsular, slavery was particularly unforgiving and harsh. Existing within a strict caste system and building a powerful nation on top of it, the lords would owe their existence to the Elysians. It would become natural for both Elysia and Spartania to share blood with one another, with aristocratic marriages and royal blood shared between one another.

The House of Spartakon, descended from the direct lineage of the Palaiologous, would be separated after decades of intertwining themselves with wedding themselves into the most powerful of the Spartan aristocrats and prominent Nahuatl lines. Ruled by a regency until he came of age, Spartania would become increasingly reliant upon the Elysians within dynastic politics. The only living direct descendent of Leonidas I, a young youth simply known as Moctezuma Spartakon, would be betrothed to an Elysian Princess. Should the Spartanian royal line cease, matters of succession was bound to cause chaos within Spartan leadership.

With the Christianisation of the Apache and with a blossoming relationship between the Empire and its new ally, the Elysians would extend the offer from a military alliance that would gradually evolve into an offer of permanent vassalage with gracious terms. Further intertwining themselves with the wider world and remaining optimistic about their future, the Apache would be incentivised with the protection and safety that vassalage would bring to their society. Taking far more of an interest into the region, the Elysians would begin arriving in greater numbers to survey and continue their diplomatic expeditions into the region.

Cooperation with the merchant communities over developing policies would begin to bear fruit in the form of economic development. Nowhere would these changes be more visible than upon the wealthiest and largest of cities across the Empire’s heartland across the Atlantic Coastline, where a lion's share of its international trade would arrive through its ports. Transatlantic trade and a protectionist stance on trade and economic matters would see these coastal cities rapidly climb in both prestige and wealth, further incentivising new development and attracting settlers. The Senate and Crown would distance themselves from interfering with this economic growth, deliberately avoiding economic matters that wouldn’t impede on progress while granting the merchants some level of freedom in their conduct.

Beyond the southern frontier of Spartania, deep into the harsh tropical climate of the southernmost lands of Elysium and the edge of Arkadia, Norse settlers would migrate from their arctic homeland and begin to settle into the hot tropical lands between the edge of two continents. Viking raiders and Norse settlers would find difficulty in settling the hot fertile lands, yet would acclimate to the new lands within the span of a few years. Establishing several populous villages and building a primarily agricultural colony to help supply and grant the Nordic lands with exotic crops and goods that couldn’t be grown anywhere in their homeland, the surprising development of this colony would see relative success among the Norse. It’s low population and relative unimportance when compared to its homeland would keep it away from the prying eye of the Christian powers that looked elsewhere or were preoccupied.

Religious Map of the Western Frontier, c.1573​

The efforts of Elysian Missionaries across the contact of the western tribes would coincide with the diplomatic ventures undertaken to establish a lasting relationship with them. Five years after the Apache converted to Elysian Orthodoxy, the Navajo would convert to true faith in 1573 after years of Evangelism and building a stable relationship with the tribe. The Navajo's conversion would become a quiet affair, adopting the faith slowly until the number of converts became a majority within the tribe.

Between the Western Sea and the frontier of the rapidly expansive colonia, Christianity would reach the isolated tribes as the outside world and the deserts of the region would see the gap closing between one another within the span of every few years. With the conversion of the Navajo, an alliance between the tribes and the Empire was only a matter of time.

Long having been among one of the oldest allies of the Empire, the Haudenosaunee were set to become annexed into the Empire directly after existing for centuries in relative independence and prominence. Long having been a friend to the Elysians and benefitting from much of the Empire’s prosperity for itself, their independence and cultural unity would gradually fragment over the generations as they were slowly Hellenised into the wider Elysian realm. Once promising to save the Haudenosaunee from the wrath of its enemies, the Haudenosaunee were to surrender their independence before the end of the decade.

The absorption of the Haudenosaunee into the Imperial fold would carry many benefits and unfortunate realities, and in essence, many of the earliest traces of Elysian history would come to an end. In a generation that was already filled with change, the altering nature of the world would see the quiet absorption of the Haudenoaunee’s entire framework into the wider Empire.

After a century of unification among the tribes, the confederation would not survive into the next century. The next century and the wider future of the continent were to be shaped by the Elysians, who had spent over a century crafting their Third Rome from almost nothing. The next few decades seemed to hold great potential for change and a catalyst for what was yet to come. With tensions of animosity against their enemies and with a thirst for ambition, the Elysians began to look outward once again. War was on the horizon.

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Demetrios' decadence could be an early footfall on the pathway of the dynasty's destruction. Hopefully, Choinates's fate will more closely resemble Williams Clark's than Meriwether Lewis'. What % is European, mixed European/native, free native and slave native? How much migration is happening between Europe and Elysium or is natural growth fueling the expansion? Thank you for the update.

Natural growth is the primary factor for population growth. Migration between Europe and Elysium would occur in low numbers, especially in this period of history. In terms of demographics, it's predominately European and Mixed, although it becomes more native the further west you travel.

Emperor Demetrios I probably needed that censorship more than his predecessors would've.

Elysian explorers have reached the Pacific. Will a corresponding desire for Elysia to stretch from "Sea to Shining Sea" emerge?

Did the barbaroi write texts critical of Elysia before censorship went into effect?

Are there underground networks to distribute texts that are officially banned in Elysia?

The desire for Manifest Destiny certainly exists, it will just take a different form. The Third Rome will not fall.

Due to the relative rarity and infancy of the Printing industry, censorship likely only occurred within Elysian cities and settlements. The Barbaroi, especially those isolated and making contact with the Empire, likely had zero access to such records. Cahokia, and specifically the Mississippian cultures, had no writing or stone architecture. So the Elysians have a clear advantage in terms of literacy alongside the printing press.

There is possibly an underground network within Elysia. Due to its sheer size, it is impossible to accurately secure all of them, but the government has a tremendous amount of resources at their disposal to fight these networks.

 

[HistoryDude]

Elysia is exploring the west. I think they've reached my home state (Arizona) now?

Are the Atlas Mountains the Rockies? Won't that cause confusion with the Atlas Mountains in Africa?

 

[Crimson Lionheart]

Chapter 28: A Game of Thrones (1575-1580)​

Between the years of 1560 and 1575, Elysian expansion would be characterised by a relentless aggression to venture westward along with a coinciding desire to bring all of the undiscovered and untamed wilderness of the continent under the illuminating light of the Imperial torch. Elysian colonies would explode in size and numeracy within this period, further encouraged by a supportive government that focused much of its energies on expansion in whatever form it took. Demetrios I’s reign began with the same relentless force that he shared with much of the Empire’s inner ethnos during this period, yet the drive for his ambitions was shared among like-minded allies in the form of militarists and expansionists.

Years of animosity against the enemies of the Empire and increased aggression on all sides would be spent quietly pushing for the expansion of the armed forces, quietly building up their proficiency and capabilities to outpace and utterly defeat their enemies. Demetrios I would spend a large portion of his life towards expansion and a sense of domination through blood and iron. While not a capable fighter nor commander in his own right, the Emperor was a ferocious political leader and held immense popularity among his subjects. With the changing world around him, it was fortunate for the Empire to have such a leader who was open to change, yet it remained to be seen whether the invisible hand of providence that Elysia had been protected for so long began to see the Empire’s momentum finally slow down.

Moctezuma Spartakon of Spartania, the last direct descendent of the now legendary warrior-king of the Neo-Spartan realm, had ruled a domineering realm built around domination, oppression and submission of the bloody lands of Lakonia. Having been a sickly child, the Kyriarchos was young and inexperienced, and through a tragic upbringing that was common in his realm, knew that the lineage of his ancestor was to end with him. Lacking any immediate heirs due to his youth, a potential dynastic crisis unfolded that would be marked by internal conflicts.

With his throne being disputed by several claimants, the strongest of the claimants were from the Palaiologos themselves, upon whom the entire House of Spartakon was descended through the lineage of Leonidas I. In 1575, the noble lords from across Spartania would be assembled to decide upon an heir if Moctezuma would die childless. Elysian representatives would be attending this assembly, gaining the attention of the Kyriachos directly and persuading much of the inner assembly about pushing for a member of the Imperial Family to be installed as Moctezuma’s heir. Elysian ties to the throne were legitimised, and importantly, carried an immense weight through the intertwined history between both royal houses.

Demetrios I of Elysia would bring the aristocracy of Spartania to advocate support for the Elysians. A member of the Palaiologos on the throne, or a personal union with Elysia, would prove highly profitable for Spartania. Elysian wealth and trade connections would provide immensely lucrative for the Spartans, while the Emperor would seduce the Spartan aristocrats for the Elysian cause. Swaying the young Kyriarchos to the Elysian cause, Monctezuma’s cousin would be appointed as his heir apparent. Tiverios Palaiologos would be held as the legitimate heir and held a strong claim to the Spartan throne, claiming descent from the younger brother of the future Leonidas I of Spartakon. With the Spartanian throne secured for the time being, the alliance and bond between the aristocracy of both continental realms would continue to flourish.

Decades after decimating the Norse during the Northern War, Elysian supremacy would remain unchallenged through several smaller conflicts across the continent. Relations between the Empire and the North would never improve between the rival powers and were further exacerbated by colonial tension and genuine animosity between one another. Emerging victorious within two prior conflicts against the Northern realm, Elysia would spend years preparing for another Northern War against Vinland for what had long been an important region that would determine the balance of power upon the Elysian continent, the Borealian Lakes.

Split between the three dominant powers of the continent, the Borealian Lakes was a vital stepping stone for the dominance of the continent as a whole. Cahokia, Vinland and Elysia would all have a presence around the lakes. Control over the Lakes would result in a drastic shift within the balance of power on the continent, something that the Elysians looked heavily into to secure their existing dominance in their homeland. Following the end of Winter of 1575, the Elysians would invade Vinland, beginning the Third Northern War.

Elysian preparation and allegon would prioritise the Norse settlements and regions around the Borealian Lakes, capturing fortified settlements or outright destroying Nordic fishing villages around the Lakes. The remainder of the Imperial Army would work in its familiar pattern of laying siege upon the fortresses near the Elysian border, while the Imperial Navy would scour the seas to ensure naval dominance. Within the three decades since the first Northern War, the Elysians had adapted and heavily improved upon its military structure to counter against the North, while simultaneously crippling Vinland with every successive victory. Vinland, lacking the resources and manpower to fight against the Elysian behemoth to the south, would become focused on the defensive with every passing war.

With organisation and expert leadership, the Elysians and their native subjects would sweep through across the Borealian lakes, capturing territory with little manpower that far exceeded their size. Within the first month of the war, the war was already decisively in the Empire’s favour.

Capturing and occupying villages and fortifications around the Errikson River, the important fortress settlement of Odawa would fall to the Empire within a siege that lasted just over a hundred days. Elysian-trained generals under the Haudenosauee would be the ones responsible for this victory, where both the native and Elysian armies would swiftly occupy the fortress settlement and lock down the rivers. Vinland’s response to the fall of Odawa would be a horrifying one, where the road to Vinoss was now left completely wide open to the Elysians, scrambling to muster a defence of the capital.

Within two months, the Borealian Lakes would be completely occupied, leaving the Elysians to prioritise their forces upon laying siege to the Norse heartland while the Empire’s many subjects focused on capturing vast amounts of territory within the sparsely populated lands to the Nordic lands to the north. Thousands of soldiers would begin to march towards the east, making the long journey to aid the core of the main army that would soon descend upon Vinoss.

Once the Imperial Army appeared on the horizon, the inhabitants of Vinoss would descend into a panic. Memories of the First Northern War were still fresh on many of the survivor's minds, where much of the capital was destroyed and starved into surrender from bombardment and siege. A brief battle on the Eriksson River would see some of the heavy ships of the Norse be destroyed, further shattering the willpower among the Norse to continue the feasibility of fighting on. The Norse armies that would journey to liberate the capital from an imminent Elysian siege would never arrive in time, as the panicking Vinlandic government would sue for peace.

As soon as the war had begun, it would quickly come to an end in an Elysian victory. All of the coastal territory along the Borealian Lake would be ceded to the Three Fires, with the Elysians believing that their native subject would govern the region with a light hand to appease the still heavily indigenous population within the recently annexed territories. Vinland would be forced to renounce claims on Elysian territory and pay enormous war reparations to the Empire, while importantly, annulling their treaty with Cahokia which guaranteed their independence. The Third Northern War would be over within a year, yet the victory would leave long-lasting impacts across the North that would reverberate for far longer.

With the Imperial Army still flush with their victory, the entire might of the Empire would be redirected and unleashed towards Cahokia. No longer having their Nordic allies to protect them, Cahokia still possessed a formidable military and multiple capable allies in their own right. Elysia would march multiple armies to their western borders, overwhelming the barbaroi forces and hideously outgunning them with modern weaponry and equipment.

Emperor Demetrios I would personally take part in the campaign, crossing the Apalesians and joining the fray alongside his commanders with his personal warhorse. The Emperor would make his objectives to his commanders incredibly clear, along with the motivation for the campaign. This was nothing short of an imperial conquest for what had long been the hidden jewel of the continent, and the last major obstacle to Elysian expansion to the West, Cahokia itself.

Cahokia would be rapidly overwhelmed as tens of thousands of Elysians marched into their territory, unable to make any resistance against such an overwhelming force. Thirty thousand men would encircle Cahokia, squeezing the life from the capital as Elysian gunpowder bombarded and crashed into the walls of the city. Demetrios would personally lead the offensive against the native metropolis, protected by a meagre force that was hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned many times over. Nevertheless, the natives were able to withstand impossible odds for nearly forty days

Once the city finally fell, Demetrios arrived in the native metropolis at the front of the Imperial Army. Alongside him were his generals and leading men, entering into the scattered hellscape of Cahokia to the sound of eerie silence from its inhabitants. Famine and disease would run rampant among the shocked inhabitants as tens of thousands of Elysian soldiers marched into the conquered capital in triumph, resulting in a drastic population crash that would hemorrhage the native willpower to stop the unstoppable Elysian onslaught. With the loss of the city and with their warriors elsewhere, the war would be decided as barbaroi supplies began to dwindle. Demetrios I would remain in Cahokia for the remainder of the war, staying alongside his loyal legions of followers and soldiers to transform and clean the fallen metropolis to serve as a supply centre for the war effort.

With the loss of their main city, the campaign had rapidly turned against the barbaroi as the Empire made swift work of the collapsing resistance. Cahokia would be preserved as a city, but the radical shift in demographics and a token force of Elysians to maintain order would see an Elysian majority among its new population. The Empire would stop its advance within the immediate borders of Cahokia’s allies, not risking a conflict in unknown and still uncharted territory.

Several months of conflict would continue, where skirmishes would continue and battles would be fought. Before the end of winter in 1578, the Cahokian Federation cracked and agreed to peace with the Elysian Empire. Demetrios would personally oversee the enforcement of the treaty that was to follow, surrounded by the Epilektoi and heavily armoured Varangians to intimidate and cower the broken leadership to agree to peace. This was a deliberate choice by the Emperor, ensuring the message went out far and wide that Cahokia’s era as the dominant barbaroi nation in Elysium had come to a crashing end.

The resulting peace would be absolutely brutal to the Federation, controlling nothing but their most undeveloped settlements and barely viable colonies in the aftermath of the peace. The Elysians would conquer the remainder of the Federation, transferring the coastal territories to the Three Fires while the Empire annexed the interior. Its most prized possession was Cahokia itself, where it would be annexed outright into the Empire. No wealth or treasures would be taken, only blood and soil would be more than enough to solidify the peace that was to reign.

Flushed with its victory, triumphs would be held across the major cities of the Empire in the ceremony of the triumph against Cahokia. Demetrios I would return to the capital with his thirty thousand behind him, crossing beyond the Apalesians and into the Imperial Capital where only the most jubilant and decorated ceremony would take place. Festivities would take place over the capital and many of the major cities across the Eastern seaboard, prolonged by several days of public games and entertainment. Demetrios’s popularity would continue to soar among the masses and his loyalists, as a wave of jubilation washed over the Empire following two successive victories against their adversaries.

The Metropolis of Cahokia before the Elysian conquest, c.1575​

The annexed territories would be maintained by local garrisons and a nearby contingent of the Imperial Army, located on the outskirts of the city where a temporary fort was constructed for their newfound gains. Cahokia would suffer immensely through the conquest, losing over two-thirds of its population of thirty thousand during the Elysian conquest. The outskirts of the city would be devastated and left in utter ruin, while the inner core of the city centre would survive despite the heavy bombardment it took from Elysian cannons. With the collapse of barbaroi rule over the city, Elysian rule would begin shortly after the conquest.

Having lost so much within such a short period of time, the soul and character of Cahokia would survive into the new era. Demetrios I would organise the transformation of the native city into an entirely new city of its own, settled by Elysian and Symmachoi settlers from all corners of the Empire. Resources and materials would begin arriving to lay the foundation of the new city that was to be built upon the old, where it was destined to become among the largest cities in the entire Empire. The metropolis would be reborn and refounded under a Hellenised rejuvenation as Kahokia.

The influx of resources onto the new city and the attention it would receive from the Emperor itself would lead to some outside curiosity and gossip around the Emperor about the nature of his action. Pragmatic minds would argue that Demetrios I had long seen the importance of Kahokia as a whole and sought to rejuvenate the city under the civilisational goal of building upon the Third Rome, serving as a model provincial city for the modern age. Some more emotional and poetic minds envisioned Demetrios I for his efforts of restoring Kahokia as being a means to atone for the destruction he himself had wrought to appease his own soul and to make amends.

None would know of the true motives of such a transformation aside from the Emperor himself, but from 1578, the modern history of Kahokia would begin under the Elysian banner. It would take years for the surviving inhabitants to adjust to Imperial rule, but the redevelopment of Native Cahokia into Elysian Kahokia would take generations even with resources flooding into the new city.

The Elysian Empire would rapidly continue its outward expansion at breakneck pace and vigour through its dominance against its enemies, and with domestic growth across its society that far outpaced its rivals and neighbours. Pushing ever westward towards the ocean, its hegemony across the continent would be further solidified. The gap between itself and its competitors would erode to the point of irrelevance as the Empire continued to break beyond its boundaries.

Beyond its immediate borders, what had once been a drink associated with the Muslim world had become more and more commonplace in Christian Europe. With an increasingly interconnected world, Portuguese merchants would arrive in Elysium to sell and further incentivise upon the emerging Coffee Boom that was occurring across the Atlantic. No longer being as inaccessible as it once was, coffeehouses were being established across Europe as the exotic beans rapidly rose in demand.

Once having become a niche and expensive interest across markets across the wealthiest of Elysian cities, the allure of coffee would travel across the Empire and begin to spread across its many territories. Finding favourable climate conditions to produce their own supply, Coffee Planations would begin to appear upon the Kykladies to secure a piece of an increasingly lucrative market. Although not the dominant good that was produced by the Kykladies, the plantations would see almost immediate results as demand and prices began to soar on the mainland.

With the relentless drive to venture across the continent, the environment would begin to transition from the fertile rivers of Andronika into vast and empty plains, until Elysian settlers and frontiersmen began to arrive on the edge of the Western Desert. Encountering a higher amount of barbaroi and hampered by the hostility of the land itself, much fewer would make the long and difficult journey. With a lack of infrastructure and poor transportation further westward, the West remained a high priority for settlers and politicians of the Empire, despite socially conservative attention to focus on the needs of the settled East.

As settlers continued to venture westward in smaller numbers, what had only been an established first contact between Elysian explorers and the natives of the region would become far more common in the late half of the 1570s. With the difficult politics and environment of the region, some of the Barbaroi like the Apache would see the value in finding allies in the form of the Empire. The clash between the settled natives among the west, and the settled colonial nature of the Imperial east, had inadvertently begun a new era that began as early as the 1560s.

The Elysian Frontier had ventured into the Wild West.

With extended contact among the region in the form of distant diplomats and missionaries existing shortly after first contact and before the wave of Elysian settlers arriving in the years following, the Empire had already seen success in the Christianisation of the Apache and the alliance that would gradually evolve into willing vassalage into the Empire under gracious terms. Several years after this, the same would occur among the Navajo.

Incentivised with protection and safety from their rivals, along with a natural evolution of an established friendship that evolved into an alliance, the Navajo would soon convert to Elysian Orthodoxy. Aligning themselves to the Elysians and already embracing an extension of brotherhood, it would take little convincing for the Navajo to accept the offer of vassalage under the same terms as the neighbouring Apache. Adding another capable allied tribe into the fold, the region was seeing a rapid shift in the balance of power as Elysian influence and colonists inched ever-closer in an almost omnipotent influence across the region.

1580 would prove to be a monumental year in the shift in Portuguese politics, where the deaths of King Sebastian I and Prince Manuel de Aviz would occur within a month of each other. Lacking any immediate heirs, a dynastic crisis would unfold between contenders vying for the Portuguese throne. Succession would inevitably pass to the Joao V of Portugal, who lacked an heir of his own, but held the strongest claim among the other claimants with direct lineage between the Palaiologos and de Avis royal families and a shared Elysian-Portuguese heritage that had characterised much of Portugual’s modern history. The Cortes would be assembled in Almeirim to decide upon an heir, whereas a council would decide upon an heir for the Kingdom.

Through passive, and sometimes heavy, influence from the Pro-Elysian Cortes within the Kingdom, the succession would be passed onto the strongest claimant to the throne. Joao’s cousin, an Elysian-Portuguese prince simply known as Prince Manuel of Sortelha, would become the King’s immediate heir. With a strong connection to both of the royal houses, should the King die prematurely, the throne would pass directly to the Elysians. The de Avis would lose the throne in such an event, and the Elysians would gain full control of the throne, much to the horror of the independent movement among the more nationalist elements of the Portuguese upper class.

Lisbon in the late 16th century. In part due to the Treaty of Elpida, it had become one of the wealthiest cities in the world. It would become a battleground between Pro-Elysian and Pro-Independence factions throughout the 16th century. ​

With the succession secured in Portugal, the decision would prove to be controversial within Europe itself. Although the succession was legitimate in the eyes of Portuguese law, many would view this act as the Elysians securing a permanent foothold in Europe. Even through passive means and royal marriage, the partnership between the Portuguese and their Elysian allies had evolved to the point of near vassalage on their own behalf, even if it had become accidental. More concerning was the event of the Portuguese throne falling completely under personal union with the Empire, and the Arkadian colonies that would now be all but de facto Elysian colonies. Such controversy would alarm the European world, yet they were powerless to prevent it, as the Portuguese succession was entirely legal and legitimate.

Gaining two important alliances and a hand upon the throne of their most important allies, the invisible hand of Demetrios I and the royal house now had its influence secured in both Lakonia and Portugal. Looking towards the West once more, the Emperor looked outward once more as the drums of war began to beat once more. Carrying the momentum of victory behind them, the Legions of the Third Rome would begin to venture towards the grand goal of their next conquest.

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Elysia is exploring the west. I think they've reached my home state (Arizona) now?

Are the Atlas Mountains the Rockies? Won't that cause confusion with the Atlas Mountains in Africa?

Elysia has arrived roughly around New Mexico and Arizona. As for the Atlas Mountains, that will be further expanded upon in future chapters.