The Third Odyssey - An Elysian Tale [Redux]

[HistoryDude]

Congrats on expanding Elysian dominion!

Also, I find the idea of Janissaries in Elysia interesting. How useful will they be?

Plethon converted a cardinal? Wow. That's a shock. Who will the court side with?

 

[KaiserWilhelmI]

You have assigned Konstantinos's regnal numeral as XII throughout, when he was only the eleventh ruler of that name.

Konstantinos Laskaris, the brother of Theodore I is sometimes numbered Konstantinos XI, as he might have been acclaimed emperor during the Fourth Crusade. In any case, the Romans didn't use regnal numerals, so they are all unofficial.

 

[Crimson Lionheart]

Chapter 5: A Native Accord (1449-1452)​

Emboldened by the wild success that would see the Romans succeed in their new homeland, a metamorphosis of fortune would slowly ebb and transform the fabric of society. A society that had known nothing but heartache and suffering had thrown its remaining fortune into the winds of fate and would emerge on the other side of the maelstrom thriving in their new world. Surviving from the brink of death, an era of relative peace that hadn’t been felt in generations would greatly put the growing populace of the empire at a sense of ease.

As the chaotic period of the exodus from the old world settled down, a new era of building a new future would begin to reinvigorate an ancient passion within the Romans. Greeks and Latins, Barbaroi and Varangians, all the peoples that had come under the banner of the Empire would come together to construct what they had been denied in their old homeland. A blank canvas that would only paint a portrait depending on how experienced the painter was. With boundless ambition, the brush was in their hands.

Everything that had been done wouldn’t have been possible were it not for Ioannes VIII. The rebirth of the Empire and the opportunity to begin again, to understand and live in an era of peace in what had been an era of hopelessness, and everything that had been carried over from the Old World into the New One would be attributed solely to the Last Emperor of the City. Years earlier, Ioannes knew that the era of the Romans was about to come to an end, and would dedicate his entire life to fighting for his crown and his people to give them a chance. He would look beyond the ancient walls of Theodosius and would see nothing but an endless ocean of death and betrayal. He had lamented how his ancestors could permit such misery to happen.

An opportunity had to be found to save whatever he could, and in due time, would set into motion the odyssey into the unknown seas beyond the edge of the known world. Reflection and debate about the series of events would be scattered and incoherent, but ultimately, the flight would raise many questions that would be left between the seas of Europe and Elysium. Was it nothing more than a fluke that the Emperor had found the documents of the exalted Komnenos? Was it nothing more than some trickery and deception to add legitimacy to his outlandish claim and plans? Or was it really the work of divine intervention, and that through Ioannes, he had found his purpose in life to work to the salvation of God’s chosen empire from the razor edge of oblivion.

Ioannes was a man, flawed like his subjects and just as human as any other, but he was a mere man who had done the impossible. The clergy speculated that it was truly the work of divine intervention through Ioannes. How could a man, without the help of God, envision the land of Elysium out of nothing? Like Moses before him, he had died before reaching the Roman’s promised land. As the idea and concept of such divinity would arouse traction within the clergy, it would only raise more questions, yet further cement the idea between the comparisons and parallelism between Ioannes and Moses, which sparked fierce debate among the clergy.

Early Imperial depiction of Saint Ioannes VIII, the First Saint of the New World. ​

In a fierce rejection of such ideas, the small but rapidly growing sect of Plethonists responded to such claims that Ioannes’s history was not an act of the divine through the Emperor who had done so much for his nation. The Hellenic pagans would claim that Ioannes’s destiny had much more in common to a dramatic tragedy and compared the late Emperor to the likes of Odysseus and the like. In the early months of 1450, the Patriarch of Nea Konstantinopolis would make the first major decision as the leader of the church in the new world. Ioannes VIII would be canonized as a saint in 1450, becoming the first saint of the new world due to Ioannes’s reputation as a protector of the faith and his people, acting as the Empire's holy shield against the tide of destiny.

It would be both a heavily spiritual decision, and importantly, a politically motivated decision by the church due to the confronting religious tension between the Christians and the Plethonist movement that was picking up momentum within the rural regions, interpreting the canonization as a direct attack against themselves and their faith. Tensions between the clergy and the Plethonists would increase, splitting the social and religious divide that was slowly growing between the populace as their identity began to split apart. The Imperial Crown would sit directly in the middle, watching from the sidelines and unable to take direct action out of fears that involvement would encourage a further schism.

Konstantinos would swell with pride as his older brother would be canonized as a Saint, proud that the salvation that the Romans had finally achieved would be directly responsible because of him. A lifetime of trying to find a means to save his people would lead Rome beyond the waves, saving them from certain doom and from the conqueror's whips. In a ceremony within Nea Konstantinopolis, the Emperor would express his relationship with his older brother, the one who had started it all.

Despite being a devout Christian, Konstantinos could sympathize with the Plethonist movement and the frustrations that it had been born from. The abandonment within the resolute hearts of the faithful would lead their souls to be turned away, and with his personal relationship to Plethon over the course of his life, could understand the reasoning and wisdom from a philosopher that had survived and contemplated so very much. Split between his faith and his people, the Emperor would need to tread water lightly between the growing tension.

With the expansion of her influence, Roman rule would rapidly spread outward from around the Bay Area as eager explorers and settlers quickly began to build new settlements and lives. The early years of consolidation within the region would not be without difficulties, as several skirmishes would be fought with the local natives that still called the region home. With the natives unable to defeat the entrenched Roman settlers, the Romans lacked the ability to make further gains due to limited knowledge of the land and its terrain.

With the initial push coming to an end, the Empire would now be in a position to conduct diplomacy with the natives rather than resorting to conflict. One of the tribes, the Powhatan, would be fascinated by the arrival of the Europeans and would develop a lust for Roman silver and spears. The Romans, with a need to expand their territory beyond the harbor and to encompass themselves around the bay area, would quickly come into contact with the tribe.

Diplomats would come into contact with the mamanatowick (paramount chief) of the Powhatan, seeking to come to an accord with the tribe to prevent any bloodshed. The Roman diplomats would carry considerable diplomatic weight when negotiations would begin, bringing with them the silver that the Powhatan had expressed their passion for.

The Romans would offer a deal to the Powhattan. The Romans would gain control of the Powhattan lands and the tribes would be given passage to migrate to the south, in exchange, they would be granted the wealth they desired and weapons of war. As diplomats engaged with the tribe, Konstantinos would carefully survey any and all news regarding the negotiations, hoping that it would be an effective way to conserve the critically low manpower the armies had.

After days of negotiations, the diplomats would return back to Nea Konstantinopolis with their heads held high in pride. Emperor Konstantinos would receive word that the Powhatan would accept the deal to leave the land of their ancestors in return for favorable Roman conditions. Powhatan villages, now equipped with crossbows and light iron armor, would pack up and migrate south as they spoke. In their place, Roman settlers moved in and began to settle in the region.

Konstantinos XI would be delighted about the news, preventing a potential conflict from ever taking place and causing unnecessary bloodshed. Within the coming weeks, multiple small towns would be settled across the former lands of the Powhattan. The largest of these settlements would be a small city named Pyrgos, intended to be the administrative capital of the region. With efforts underway to build the settlement, Roman control over the entire Bay Area would become virtually uncontested.

The lands around Nea Konstantinopolis would be vast, wealthy, and hardly used by the native inhabitants who had called the region home for countless generations. With expansionist efforts completely in full swing, and with natives either integrating under Roman rule or being repealed from the region outright, Greek settlers would quickly migrate into the territories and begin to establish colonia.

The Eastern Roman Empire, it's vassals, and its known world, c.1449​

Within a span of five years, the exiled remnants of the old empire would comfortably settle within their new home in Elysium. With a position and a home that was solidified with every passing day, the Romans would comfortably settle within the growing settlements and work in tandem with both local and native elements within its society. With such prosperity unlike anything the Empire had ever known in Europe within such a short period of time, Konstantinos XI and the imperial council would primarily be focused on building the realm's infrastructure above expansionist measures. Peace would accompany the most important feeling that had been lost for generations, the expression of true hope for oneself and for the future, would become the most important element within Roman society for years to come.

With the Plethonist movement swaying the discontent masses and the disillusioned, the heretical movement to return to the faith of the old gods would begin to pick up momentum as new converts started to rapidly adopt the new faith. With Plethon and the most fanatical of his followers leaving Nea Konstantinopolis to build a new society within the frontier lands, where his teachings would continue unappeased by the strangulation of Christian hands, the Orthodox faithful would be disgusted by the presence of the small but rapidly growing movement and seeing toleration of the heathens within the nation.

Devout dynatoi and courtiers would express their anger, and such hostility to the Plethonist movement would see the most influential of Roman society demand that the crown make a public statement on the matter. After inaction for such a long time, Konstantinos XI would officially make his opinion known about the movement. After remaining sympathetic to some of its core tenets, the Emperor would publicly condemn the Plethonist movement, quietly but unofficially supporting the orthodox church. With repeated Plethonist attempts to attack the legacy and recent canonization of Saint Ioannes, along with growing hostility to Christendom outright, it wouldn’t take much to sway Konstantinos’s mind on the matter.

Since their arrival in the Elysian Fields, the Romans suffered under many hardships that they would carry over from the Old World. The drive towards the pursuit of knowledge that had been brought over across the ocean would lead the empire to desperately survey every piece of knowledge brought over in search of solutions and answers to questions that hadn’t been answered yet. The desire to delve into the answers of the past and a growing tendency that has been increased with the emergence of intellectuals, along with the rise of Gemistos Plethon who had worked tirelessly to promote the works of Plato, Plotinus, Proclus and other Nea-Platonist writers of antiquity would spark a revival of the ideals and culture of the same era.

Along with the restoration of ancient Latin and Greek knowledge, and a feverish revival to surpass the achievements and ideas of antiquity, would spark the beginning of an entirely new period of history. New ideas for rulers, as well as those who are ruled, are quickly spreading through the land. Roman knowledge and the inspiration it would carry over from its forefathers in millennia past would be focused upon a new form of humanism, focused on one's transcendence to the afterlife with a perfect mind and body. The pursuit of knowledge and the training towards perfection of body and soul would lead to the Roman ideal of a ‘Universal Man’ that combined a great intellect, physical excellence, and the ability to function with honor in any situation.

With the flourishing of the new ‘Renaissance’ and the ideals that it carried over from the Old World, a unique form would exist within the New World. Everything from politics and philosophy to art and music, and architecture would be fundamentally changed forever in a feverish revival of cultural rebirth in a brand new world to fit the classical ideals of the past. Cultural arts would thrive while unique architectural wonders were being built. Beginning under the reign of Konstantinos XI, the Palaiologian Renaissance would contribute to the stunning growth within society, before evolving into a wider Elysian Renaissance.

Five years after the landing of the New World, the Romans would organize the territories under their dominion with far greater efficiency. Nea Konstantinopolis would rapidly advance quickly, as the last remaining remnants of tents would fade away as wooden houses and palisades would replace them. Now that survival was no longer a priority, more effort was focused on building and constructing what was new. The Council, in tandem with the Crown, would slowly be integrated into the emergence of the imperial court.

Food supplies, local disputes, and effective local governance would be maintained by the Council, while the Crown took its responsibility for matters beyond and above the Council’s responsibility such as economic factors and a tight control over the small but highly effective armed forces.

In the five years since their arrival, the Romans would bounce in their achievements and wonders. Five years of harsh winters, discovery, challenges, and ceaseless work would come to bear fruit as a true civilization began to emerge in the wilderness from the hostile world around them. Long having been accustomed to the wonders of their ancestors, both the Greeks and the Latins would live in the ruins of the legacy of the ancient empire. The arrival of the Romans in this new world would immediately feel alien and out of place after the landing. Arriving on an empty continent with nothing but beaches and fields, the Romans lost the enthusiasm to delve deeper beyond its exterior. Long having been accustomed to the restoration of old concrete roads, ruined aqueducts, and the dilapidated temples and columns of an ancient society that had ceased long before they had ever been born.

Thousands of years of secrets from the old world didn’t exist within Elysium. There were tribes of barbaroi, who understood the continent better than the Romans did, but had nothing similar or even remotely in common with what was found in the old world. No secrets under the ground, no landmarks of ancient monuments dotted the landscape. To the Romans, both the Greek and Latins that served under the proud imperial banner, they were no longer living underneath the dim shadow of the ancients.

And from nothing, the foundation of a new society would be built. The land around them would begin to change and shift as new buildings, churches, and docks would appear to replace the emptiness that surrounded them. The failures of the first houses would be small and weak, but with inexperience, it would be a learning opportunity to improve and do better. It would be here in the Elysium Fields that the Romans would learn the joy of creating rather than repairing, and to see the imagination setting the limits of what could be created. Even in the capital, the arts flourished under primitive yet exquisite wooden figurines and clay pots.

Early 16th-century portrait of Theophilos II Palaiologos (1421-1492), the Third Master of the Odyssey, posthumously remembered as 'The Builder' ​

Deep down, the desire to build an entirely new world would inspire the Romans to grow in their ambition, yet feel hollow. Everything that had been built thus far was cheap and fragile, existing solely as a temporary solution. It would be here that the Romans would look back to their history, whereas the Greeks would look beyond the bay to their forgotten home in Constantinople. A capital that was designed to awe, to covet, to venerate, and last throughout the ages. It would serve as the namesake for the capital they had lived in, and as a blueprint for their origins and for what was yet to come.

Prince Theophilos, after years of detailed designs and intricate planning, would finally see his ideas take form and shape. Taking personal initiative and planning to develop the young capital for the Romans, a delicate and well-thought-out layout for the new city would be proposed that guaranteed a house for every Roman in Elysium. Stone would replace wood and the recently revived knowledge to create concrete, discovered within the depths of knowledge taken from the old world, would follow the Romans across the world they would aspire to build in Elysium.

Importantly, to shield the young capital from harm and to protect its inhabitants, a wall was to be constructed. Just like Theodosius’s wall, it was the sole reason that the Romans had survived for long enough to discover Elysium. Like Constantinople before it, it would serve as a blueprint for Prince Theophilos to take inspiration from, and the time would come to create its own.

Setting a perimeter around the width of the capital, the Romans would begin the construction of what would become known as the Theophilian Walls, named after the Prince who had already laid the foundation for the modern plans for the capital of the Third Rome. With the recent discovery of stone in the mountains along the west, the building blocks for the defensive structure would be laid as workers chiseled away slowly at the earth. Bringing the Roman standards of the old world to the defense of the capital in Elysium, the walls would primarily be constructed as the first stone structure of the city, slowly replacing the wooden palisades that protected the city.

Using records and ancient texts, along with the living memory and impression of the ancient Theodosian Wall of the Old City as an example, the new wall would be destined to be the most formidable fortification on the entire continent. Serving as a blueprint in its construction, the early wall would follow much of its ancient predecessor's design with its multiple layered defenses. In its crude and early form, construction was expected to take years but would prove to be an invaluable defensive shield to protect the capital from any and all threats.

With the Romans settling and integrating themselves into their new home, the Empire had primarily relied upon the Arte dei Delfini and the meager merchant presence carried over from the Old World to ensure that trade and economic matters would continue to operate despite a nonexistent structure. Long having been trading with just the natives, the Empire had lacked any presence beyond its immediate surroundings and would integrate itself with the Latins.

Konstantinos XI would begin to solve this problem by encouraging entrepreneurs to establish themselves as merchants, establishing the foundation for a local trade network, and reducing the overreliance of the Latins. As the beginning of a new merchant class would emerge within the Empire, its efforts would begin to already result in success as Greek merchants and entrepreneurs began to spring across the empire and resume trade.

Southwest from the capital, new colonia would blossom with settlers as an influx of Greek farmers would begin to settle within the land due to productive soil and agricultural potential among early settlers. With such an influx of settlers leaving Nea Konstantinopolis and settling within the region, the agricultural hub of Neriton was founded as the territorial capital for the region. In the years to come, Neriton would serve as an early breadbasket for the Empire and provide the basis for the first vineyards across the empire.

Emerging as a growing power within the region for some time, the Barbaroi have been hesitant and reluctant to communicate and engage with the Romans out of fear. The cultural shock of such a foreign civilization would serve as an intimidating factor that would leave awe and fear within the tribes, but now that the sense of wonder had diminished over the years, only hesitation would replace these feelings.

Roman expansion, unchecked and advancing rapidly outward, had already overrun several native lands and would bring them within direct proximity to imperial borders. Several chiefs, warriors, and other officials from the subsumed natives would form their own small councils and would seek an audience with the Emperor and the government. Technically apart of the empire as subjects, they also retained a level of quasi-independence from imperial affairs, resulting in legal disputes about land ownership and settler rights.

Konstantinos XI would tackle the issue at hand directly, granting an audience with the barbaroi and listening to their plight. The barbaroi would accept Roman rule and laws, but demanded the right to govern themselves in turn, seeking autonomy among their communities and dealing with others of their kind in the process. In return, the barbaroi would accept the imperial rule and the consequences that came with it.

Konstantinos XI would agree to leave their ancestral lands untouched, leaving their territories directly to them and their people, introducing measures to prevent colonies from being organized in native lands without permission. With militarists and economists wanting to seize the most economically beneficial lands from the natives, the Emperor would deepen his ties to the natives and seek to prevent a waste of resources. All the Emperor would ask in return was their loyalty and cooperation, which the barbaroi would agree upon Emperor’s further cooperation with the natives would establish an entirely new class of Romans within the government.

The Barbaroi Councils would become the fourth pillar of the Imperial government and an important diplomatic and administrative council that would oversee native interests within the empire. Emperor Konstantinos XI would sign the Treaty of Kleomenon with the most senior of Barbaroi, through which the imperial government would recognize native ownership of territories and be granted autonomy, along with being exempt from having land seized by the crown. With the barbaroi appeased, the integrated natives would contribute to the colonies and help develop the land. The more xenophobic elements of Roman society would protest the signing of the treaty, but without the barbaroi within the empire, it would serve as a check to restrain Roman ambition.

Clergymen and missionaries that would settle across the Empire would frequently use their teachings to spread the word of Christ, frequently directing their efforts towards the frontier and outward to efforts to convert the native tribes. With religious tensions climbing within the Empire, scandal would erupt across the society as a clergyman would be found murdered on the edge of imperial territory. Plethonist followers would be quick to deflect the blame on the barbaroi, but evidence and an investigation into the murder would instead prove that the locals had conspired against the devout Christians in the area and had murdered the priest themselves, using the natives as a scapegoat to deflect the blame for their actions.

Such a scandal would have the crown involve itself in the matter, where Konstantinos XI would blame the locals and have them tried to the full extent of the law for being heretics, inciting anger among the Plethonist community. The Patriarch and the faithful within society would be pleased with the Emperor's decision, only solidifying further ties between the church and the populace in the form of spiritual brotherhood. Plethonists, already acting aggressively against the matter, focused more inward and became more reclusive. The more radical of the pagans would become increasingly agitated and violent in addition to the growing persecution.

With the core of the new lands thriving under a temporary colonial and economic boom, an effort was made to modernize and structure the old remnant of the imperial army to adjust to the new structure of the New World. With a growing force of militia serving as the first military within the new world, led by former mercenary captains and the few capable commanders that had accompanied along the journey, the structure of the new military would be reformed. With Prince Orhan taking a strong position to empower his own elite corps, Konstantinos XI would remain a very capable and strategic military mind in his own right. Three direct proposals would be made for military reform, where generals would argue day and night about the weight of their decision, for it would lay the foundation for the future of Roman combat.

The voice of reason that would make the decision would not come from any of the commanders, nor would come from either Orhan and the Emperor. The final word would come from Empress Aurelia, who would be respected for her military and logistical genius in such matters. In the end, it would be the Empress of the Romans who would push for her husband's idea to expand the militia into the backbone of a new army. Such expansion of the local city militias would instill a sense of pride within the people as they defended their homes from foreign threats while providing them with direct and crucial military experience that can applied anywhere, forming the backbone of a proper military structure that would allow the Empire to feel soldiers where necessary.

Konstantinos would remain proud of his wife for such a brilliant concept, while also deeply impressing Prince Orhan and the few capable commanders that would surround them. With a reorganization of the armed forces, including a structure that was to be constructed from the ground up, the reformation of the army was expected to take some time.

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Awesome Update
Always wondering what happens if you take the Plethonist side in the crisis

Lots of violent shenanigans and the conversion to Hellenism, which radically alters the destiny of the future Elysium in the long run.

You have assigned Konstantinos's regnal numeral as XII throughout, when he was only the eleventh ruler of that name.

Konstantinos Laskaris, the brother of Theodore I is sometimes numbered Konstantinos XI, as he might have been acclaimed emperor during the Fourth Crusade. In any case, the Romans didn't use regnal numerals, so they are all unofficial.

My mistake, it was something I have grown accustomed to when writing. It will be fixed now, thanks for the correction

Congrats on expanding Elysian dominion!

Also, I find the idea of Janissaries in Elysia interesting. How useful will they be?

Plethon converted a cardinal? Wow. That's a shock. Who will the court side with?

The Janissaries will certainly punch far above their weight, although it wouldn't come without controversy.

As for the Plethonists? Who knows where the court will side with in the end, there's still many years to go before things begin to take a turn for the worst.

Great stuff! Is this a remake of a previous story?

Yes and No. It's a loose remake of my first AAR from several years ago, and while it will share some similarities, they will be two different stories by the end.

 

[Arakhor]

Konstantinos Laskaris, the brother of Theodore I is sometimes numbered Konstantinos XI, as he might have been acclaimed emperor during the Fourth Crusade. In any case, the Romans didn't use regnal numerals, so they are all unofficial.

And they wouldn't have used Roman (Latin) numerals if they did, but my point was more that Crimson and the game were assigning different numerals.

 

[Fool Esquire]

Yes and No. It's a loose remake of my first AAR from several years ago, and while it will share some similarities, they will be two different stories by the end.

Ah, that's the one! Your writing style seemed familiar yet different.

Building a big wall, but "safety has a cost"? Is the cost being racist against Mexicans?

 

[Leandor]

Ah, that's the one! Your writing style seemed familiar yet different.

Building a big wall, but "safety has a cost"? Is the cost being racist against Mexicans?

In this case, it is a very literal cost, lol!

Congratulations on starting a new AAR, Mr. Lionheart! It's amazing to see the Extra events around and how they influence the narrative... but also how I really should go back and correct some, uh, "typos", haha. Thank you for your work, and I'll be reading every episode you post.

Hopefully everything goes fine with the Romans! May Saint Ioannes save you from the border gore.

 

[HistoryDude]

Well, the trade with the locals and the establishment of the Barbaroi Councils is good. The new settlers can't fight a continent alone, even with their technological advantage.

It looks like the Plethonists are losing.

Those walls should prove useful if a European colonizer tries to conquer Elysia and somehow reaches the capital.

 

[Crimson Lionheart]

Interlude I: An Imperial Wedding (1452)​

It was a public ceremony, perhaps the most significant event ever since the landing in Elysium. Theophilios was busy outside of the stone church, anxiously pacing in circles at the ceremony that was about to take place. The crunching of snow could be heard underneath his feet, making the slippery path that he walked upon a danger if he wasn’t paying careful attention. Inside of the church, the guests of honor would be assigned and positioned in their seating arrangements. Everyone had assembled inside the room, religious iconography filling the modest temple where he was set to be married. Everyone was here at his wedding, regardless of their status, talking about the next husband-to-be and his future wife. The news would spread outward and reach some of the barbaroi tribes within the Empire’s proximity, sending gifts and delegations in the name of the tribes who made it in attendance.

Theophilos was a nervous wreck. He had followed his cousins across the sea in what had once been described as nothing more than a gamble against fate. He had held his head high with a sense of pride at what he had already done since their arrival in this new world, but yet he didn’t want to take away the energy of what was supposed to be the happiest day of his life. He felt like he was taking away the moment. Even with his nervous footsteps outside of the church, Theophilos couldn’t help that he was going to make a mistake. A full day of getting organized into his finest clothes, wondering about what the future could even bring. Perhaps he wondered that if he cou-.

A hand on his shoulder would interrupt his contemplation.

“Stressing will only make it worse, cousin” Konstantinos chuckled, breaking the silence.

Theophilos turned for a moment and looked at the Emperor of the Romans, wearing his ceremonial robes as he stood alongside him in the cold. He had always wondered how his older relative could remain warm wearing such silk on the top of the furs that kept his body warm. “I can’t help it.” he retorted.

“Everything will be okay. You are still young and you have your entire lives ahead of you” Konstantinos reassured him.

“But what if I make a mistake during the ceremony? I know I must be brave, but even within the presence of our loved ones and all of our guests, I still feel very much like a stranger to them.” Theophilos sighed.

Konstantinos shook his head. “It won't come to that. Have faith, and everything will work out. It’s something that the good lord has reminded me from time to time whenever we make mistakes. But I will admit that I have been in your shoes before, even with my previous marriages.”

Theophilos had been told about that in the past, about the tragedy befalling his older cousin in the past. He had married twice before, and within a year apart, both of his wives would die. His first love had died while giving birth to a stillborn daughter. His second wife became gravely ill after suffering a miscarriage and died before the end of the month. After such tragedy, he had figured that Konstantinos would remain without another bride for the remainder of his days. Yet not only did Konstantinos end up remarrying only a couple years after the death of his second wife, but Konstantinos would marry who was to become his sister-in-law, Aurelia.

He was happier, and perhaps, he really did need to have faith. The faith to take a leap of faith and land on the other side. It had worked for Ioannes, upon whom the hope of an entire people would carry across the seas and bravely be carried across their new homeland. And it had worked for Konstantinos as well. He had seemed happier, even if his life had been nothing but difficult.

“I don’t understand how you can do it.” Theophilos briefly spoke. His fidgeting had stopped by now and he focused his attention fully upon the Emperor.

The Emperor just chuckled and placed his hand on his shoulder, grinning slightly. “You just need to have faith.”

With a confident grin, Konstantinos XI would turn himself back into the church, leaving the inquisitive mind of a nervous Theophilos to ruminate all over the wisdom that he had been granted. He knew that Konstantinos spoke about having faith, but Theophilos would interpret such mannerisms differently. The Emperor spoke about it like it was simply telling his nephew that he needed to believe in himself, or maybe he didn’t need to believe in something else. Could it be the lord’s guidance over such a precious day? He had no such idea.

Theophilos would enter the church as the murmur of conversation would begin to echo and bounce off the walls of the church, speaking in hushed tones about the Prince for the ceremony that was set to occur. The Patriarch himself would be responsible for the conduction of the wedding, granting his blessing to the holy union. All eyes would turn to the hushed silence of the bride entering the room, as Aida Orsini entered the room for the last time under her maiden name, accompanied by her older sister Aurelia.

The Patriarch stood between the couple, appearing far younger than the old priests of the forgotten world back across the sea. Theophilos and Aida would stare longingly at one another, and as time passed, the couple felt that their entire world was looking at them in happiness. Not a word would be said, and aside from the hymns being sung, the couple couldn’t break their gaze from each other.

In the couple’s mind, there wasn’t a world without each other. Their eyes would find each other as they were surrounded by an entire ocean of their own, no longer suffering under the weight of the storm they had survived. A single smile would say all the words they ever needed to express, their eyes shining like the jewels upon their ornate clothing. They had found each other from two different words on a summer evening in Sicily, they had crossed the endless seas for days and nights, battled a raging storm with each other, and fought against the cruelty and wilderness that had been thrown at their way.

In the late evenings, Aida would challenge her husband to be as he tirelessly worked on his schematics and plans. Dreams gave form onto the parchment and the pen, holding hands interlocked as their inquisitive bookish minds bounced ideas off from one another. Born as a commoner, she was to become a princess in her own right, challenging her brilliant husband with the perspective and genius of her own ideas.

It would only take a moment's last word for them to kiss, as the blossoming of their love would break all protocol as the royal couple embraced one another at the very last word of the Patriarch officiating their marriage. Some of the crowd looked stunned, yet many would cheer for the new couple. Bells ring, and a moment in the empire’s history would be forever made in the church during the cold winter's day. All that Theophilos and Aida felt was the warmth from each other and without a care in the world.

Together, under the candlelight, the late ceaseless evenings of dreaming about a better world would come together. Theophilos and Aida would together shape this world, but for today, their happiness was enough.

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Ah, that's the one! Your writing style seemed familiar yet different.

Building a big wall, but "safety has a cost"? Is the cost being racist against Mexicans?

Nea Konstantinopolis won't be built in a day. But under good guidance and the right leadership, maybe we might just see the foundations for something truly inspiring later down the line

In this case, it is a very literal cost, lol!

Congratulations on starting a new AAR, Mr. Lionheart! It's amazing to see the Extra events around and how they influence the narrative... but also how I really should go back and correct some, uh, "typos", haha. Thank you for your work, and I'll be reading every episode you post.

Hopefully everything goes fine with the Romans! May Saint Ioannes save you from the border gore.

Thank you so much for your support! I promise that I won't disappoint!

May Saint Ioannes save us!

Well, the trade with the locals and the establishment of the Barbaroi Councils is good. The new settlers can't fight a continent alone, even with their technological advantage.

It looks like the Plethonists are losing.

Those walls should prove useful if a European colonizer tries to conquer Elysia and somehow reaches the capital.

Even with their advantages, the Romans are still strangers in a foreign home. They have a very long road ahead of them

 

[HistoryDude]

It's nice to see some happy moments... and Konstantinos and Theophilos are both brothers and brothers-in-law now!

Aida also seems useful in the game.

 

[Crimson Lionheart]

Chapter 6: Breaking Point (1452-1456)​

The atmosphere of Roman society would be jubilant with the air of success brushing along the thriving empire, celebrating the wedding of Prince Theophilos and Princess Aida along with a record-breaking year in both the agricultural and financial sectors of the Empire. The granaries of the Empire would be filled to the brim with an abundance of supplies, while trade with the barbaroi tribes and the distant remote Vinlanders would ignite the fires of an industry that had remained dormant for years. Experiencing the joy of building and creating instead of living upon the legacy of their forefathers, the emergence of the new homeland was about to flourish.

The Empire no longer had to look upon itself, as in several years, the Old World became more of a distant memory. The period of austerity and survival was gradually coming to an end, and now being able to stand on its own, the sky was the limit.

Having remained active ever since the Landing in Elysium, silk production would remain a dormant but active business on the continent. Through having remained active for quite some time, the establishment of a dedicated merchant class of entrepreneurs and traders would allow the industry to thrive. Skoros Silk, despite its inferior quality in comparison to its counterpart across the ocean, still remained a luxury item that was sought after by the wealthy elites of the Empire. Once reserved exclusively for the notables within Nea Konstantinopolis, upon which the silk was worth a small fortune in its own right, modernizing production methods and a strengthening trade network would see merchants venture far and wide carrying it as part of their regular wares.
Native trading partners and Vinlandic merchants from the far north had begun to take notice, and demand is forming among them and their kin. With a complete monopoly on production, the Imperial economy is set to see a boon in growth. As long as the dominance over the market held, so too would the economic growth.

Before the end of 1452, the bay area that would make up the center of the Elysium Fields would be under complete imperial control. With the Bay secured and prospering under thriving conditions, the region and its strategic resources would be used to further grow the empire. The city of Troizen would be founded, sitting along the Bay of Methenai, where it would become a major source of dyes and textiles for the empire. Its strategic position along the bay would also secure its position as a strong naval outpost for the empire, acting as the first line of defense against any Viking incursions to the south.

After several long weeks of mundane reports and boredom plaguing the Emperor, who had spent most of the period listening to the bickering of noble houses petitioning that their voices be heard, developing matters from beyond the wild lands of the frontier would quickly capture the interest of Konstantinos XI. In distant lands far away from the imperial capital, the Emperor would be informed by merchants of a serious political development to the far north. A man who had managed to unite the Haudenosaunee tribes into a singular collective entity.

Accounts would speak of this man, known among the tribes and the Roman merchants as the Great Peacemaker, who spoke of him as a prophet who had counseled peace among the warring tribes. Konstantinos XI would be forced to plan his next moves carefully. A unified Barbaroi nation could prove to be a valuable ally in a hostile world, while a swift response would be enough to secure Roman dominance through bloodshed and would become a thron on the side of the Empire. Konstantinos XI would immediately send an ambassador to measure the peacemaker’s true intentions.

A response would return to the capital several days later, while conversation would begin to spark among the populace about the distant yet powerful Haudenosaunee. Whispers among traders that the barbaroi nation possessed a united force that was powerful enough to challenge the Romans, and were united through a distinct cause as the tribes coalesced into a singular nation. Paranoid minds believed that the barbaroi hordes were enough to push the Romans back into the seas, while the optimistic believed that this was a valuable discovery to learn more about the lands of Elysium. Between the two opinions, a certain distinct medium was spoken in hushed tones. There was but one leader for the Five Nations, a Prophet among kings who declared himself humbly as the ‘Great Peacemaker’.

His response came in the form of an ambassador who presented himself before the Roman court, a colorful chimera of customs of all of the cultures from lands both distant and at home. A long Norseman beard, a robe of Roman silk, a curved oriental scabbard, and a deep complexion among his painted face would stare down the Emperor of the Romans and the imperial court. He had not come simply to bring peace or war to the Romans, but to pronounce the supremacy of the Emperor among the trees.

His unique customs would surprise the court into hushed whispers, as the ambassador's presence was enough to stand out among the court. Konstantinos XI would witness the ambassador present the court with a noble chicken of black and mottled feathers, and for a moment, both men would lock eyes with one another in silence. The Emperor took the serene calmness of the ambassador and the usage of the chicken as a sign of peace, amusing him in its simple message, before Konstantinos XI would grant the Haudenosaunee the full support of the Romans for the prized gift.

The Roman and Haudenosaunee alliance, c.1453​

The Ambassador smiled and thanked the Emperor before returning to his homeland, pleased to report his discovery to the Great Peacemaker. In the coming weeks, the Haudenosaunee and the Romans would come together to engage with diplomacy, entering into a military alliance of self-defense between their two nations. Diplomats, both Greek and Native, would begin venturing into the frontier lands between the two nations and establish relations. The Haudenosaunee and Roman relationship would begin upon a solid footing, and as peace between the alliance grew, so did the nature of its friendship.

Upon the Imperial Flagship, the secrets that would be taken the recreate the formula for the legendary ‘Greek Fire’ during the flight from Europe had proven to be a fruitful one. While it had seen little use in naval combat so far, it would remain an attractive counter defensive measure to prevent any future Viking raids upon the Roman coastline. It had also proven to be extremely useful in warding off native raids on any cities and forts within the Empire, though used as a terror weapon to completely decimate native morale instead of merely inflicting any significant casualties.

With the applications and devastating concepts that had been formulated among the Romans, alchemists and engineers had together made plans to improve the range and reliability of both ship-mounted and handheld variants using more modern techniques and materials. Land applications to the terrifying formula would be looked into, as concepts were drawn into sketches and plans. But the supply of naphtha, a viscous black liquid that would prove critical to the production of Greek Fire, would run low, forcing the empire to ration supply and to reserve it for imperial fireships and fort defense.

With the supply of naphtha decreasing daily, the military officials would pressure the imperial government to locate a new source of naphtha before reserves inevitably ran out. In addition to its military applications, naphtha has been known amongst alchemical circles for its uses since ancient times. With a nervous military and the imperial establishment looking to conduct search parties, the natives would speak of great pits of black liquid rising from the ground near the Borealian Lakes. Others would tell tales of a small island far to the south where entire lakes of naphtha would flow like water, although this would be dismissed as pure fantasy by sailors.

With little alternative but with deep curiosity, search parties would venture into the known to locate a new source of Naphtha for the empire. With the promise of good pay, an additional incentive would be granted to soldiers serving within expeditionary parties, ranging from a parcel of land or its equivalent in money much like the ancient imperial legionaries of old. With enthusiasm, the search parties would venture into the unknown.

With a sizable among of land within the bay surrounding the capital under imperial control and settlement, Konstantinos XI would invest heavily into its development to build the growing economy of the region. Prince Theophilos and many like-minded scholars would draw up plans to expand infrastructure for the growing population, and with a thriving boom period to strengthen the imperial economy, a strong solid heartland would be secured among the Roman exiles in the new world. The Elysian Bay and Elysian Coast, as it would come to be known, would see coastal communities bloom along its waters.

Prosphorion, as the seat of the imperial navy and controlling the mouth of the bay, would thrive. With its strategic position serving to control all trade heading by sea to the imperial capital, its importance, and local economy would skyrocket.

With the Elysian homelands thriving, Roman influence and control rapidly spread outwards as colonies began to be established beyond the bay for the very first time. With the heartland’s rapid growth, settlers had already spread their wings and ventured away from the cradle of the bay to establish countless small villages that dot the land. Under a careful but controlled expansion, the beginning of a true nation would be established that would one day match the one that was left behind. Emperor Konstantinos, long having looked inward to protect his subjects and to safeguard the future, was largely completed. It would come to him and his senate for the future that awaited them as the Roman state turned inward.

While the settlements were blossoming, its lands lacked fresh water. Every settlement that had been built would grow around a natural spring. For a land that had been so verdant in life, the settlements were unusually bereft of water. A solution would be proposed as Roman settlements began to hug around the highlands and mountains of the Apalesians, and once more, ancient wisdom would influence the present destiny of the Empire.

A series of grand aqueducts would be constructed, equalling those of Old Rome, connecting imperial lands to the far mountains that stood only in the distant horizon. Once more a construct of the brilliant Prince Theophilos, the designs would be perfected by a small council consisting of the Prince and some of the finest intellectuals and engineers within the Empire. Included upon the council was Theophilos’s wife, the recently wed Princess Aida, upon whom her talent for mathematics and sharp intellect would oversee and even improve on such ambitious plans.

In the coming years, the foundation would be laid for the aquatic highways to bring fresh clean water to the Empire. For use in farming, public baths, sewage systems, and more. Another obstacle on the road to transforming the Third Rome to be worthy of its name,

With Roman expansion being directed towards the mountains and establishing itself beyond the Elysian Bay, current thoughts would extend towards future expansion efforts beyond the Elysian Coast and instead be directed towards looking into carving pathways through the imposing Apleisian Mountains. While it was incredibly ambitious, the hope would remain that a highway network through the mountains would ease the movement of imperial armies and merchants beyond the mountains who would someday venture deep into the interior of the continent.

Many engineers would begin to construct plans, but with a lack of resources and a weak priority to venture beyond the mountains, the idea was put into the back of their minds. It would take generations before the plan would be approached seriously again, but the logical structure of the network remained solid.

After a lifetime of service to the throne, Gemistos Plethon would die peacefully at the age of ninety-seven. The Father of the Plethonist movement that would share his name would be many things. A philosopher, clergyman, a mathematician, and a navigator who had dedicated everything to the service of Rome. Even after renouncing Christ, the apostate had remained on good terms with the imperial family and the throne. His successor and former student, Bessarion, would inherit the leadership of the Plethist movement and tirelessly worked to solidify its doctrine. Carrying the humanistic elements from his teacher, a bitter Bessarion and a newfound zealotry among its faithful would continue to sway more and more followers. Christian persecution, especially on the frontier where the Plethonists held sway, would further radicalize the growing cult.

Konstantinos XI would be confronted with a difficult choice. Even with the Emperor condemning the Plethonist movement and its heretical turn towards the paganism of the old gods, Plethon as a figure was a far less controversial figure than the movement that would bear his name. In light of the circumstances, a state funeral would be organized, which was immediately controversial between the Christians and Plethonists alike. The Church pressured the throne to further condemn the man and urge the Christian faithful to steel their faith against the teachings of the apostate, while a smaller delegation of Plethonists wished to perform their own delegation and honor their teacher as distinguished thinkers and statesman.

With the funeral to be held, the crown would organize the state funeral itself, using the event to shape its own narrative and attempt to heal the division that threatened to tear the entire empire asunder. Konstantinos spoke about Plethon during the ceremony, stating that had the old scholar been still among them, he would wish for peace among the Romans and for civilized discussion to be held among them. Beyond the earlthy squabbles and the legacy that the apostate would leave behind, his only desire was to see the Empire and its people be reborn stronger than ever before.

While the Plethonists would be appeased, the Orthodox faithful were angered that imperial government did not condemn Plethon as he was put to rest. After the funeral, the controversy would gradually fade away and the Empire was able to return to a brief sense of normality until tensions would inevitably return.

With militarism growing within the expansionist nature of the Empire in the new world, the dynatoi would begin to truly evolve into a new class of its own that separated itself from the traditional aristocrats from the Old World. As the elite landed nobility within the Empire, they would begin evolving into an emerging class of warrior elite. While the clergy would preach, the merchants engage in commerce, and the commoners performed the heavy labor, the Dynatoi would become known for going out to train and hunt in the arts of combat.

With many noble officers already serving in charge of the military command, the position would only be recently solidified under law, ensuring a reliable influx of competent leaders for the imperial army. Along with having the privilege of a pronoia, which confers temporary tax-exempt status, the Dynatoi would retain a heavy influence upon military politics and diplomatic matters as the first noble houses to be founded entirely in Elyisum began to appear and grow in influence.

As the Northmen continued to share contact with the Romans to their south, a band of seasoned yet impulsive Varangian warriors would offer their servies as bodyguards to Konstantinos XI. In return for converting to Eastern Orthodoxy and fighting alongside imperial soldiers, the Emperor would champion the return of the Varangian Guard, letting the warriors be molded with training and lodgings within the capital. In return for providing the crucially low manpower that the Empire had lacked, the Northmen would settle among their Vinlandic brethren within a quarter of the imperial capital.

With the modernization and growth of the military, Konstantinos XI would implement various reforms upon the infantry. Consisting of semi-professional soldiers who would go out on campaign in exchange for the right to collect taxes on certain properties, the infantry would be decently equipped and retain decent discipline from their training under dynatoi captains and generals. Many of these soldiers, primarily farmers and laborers, would be effective warriors although were somewhat unreliable. Importantly, the Emperor would view such a development as being astronomically more capable than a local militia.

Ten years after embarking on the flight from Europe, the exiled nation that would be constructed around the Elysian Bay would already begin to rival the sad remnant of an empire that had been left behind in the old world, yet in its current form, it had lacked an institution that had remained behind across the sea. Guilds, an important union of experienced tradesmen that were once vibrant within the walls of the old city, merely hadn’t existed within the New World. Craftsmen guilds existed for every art and industry within the physical world, while alchemists and apothecaries existed to tend to the spiritual world.

Konstantinos XI would contribute to the strong but singular Arte dei Delfini and the Merchant Class to officially aid in reinstating the foundation of new guilds across the empire, catering to the growing industries and social areas across the Empire.

Following the landing, Nea Konstantinopolis was constructed out of necessity with little thought for future planning initially. Now that the Empire was thriving beyond its walls, the time had come to transform the heartland as a strategy of urban redevelopment began to transform the cities across the width of the Elysian Bay. Nea Konstantinopolis in particular would receive special focus as the imperial capital, being designed off the extensive plans developed by Prince Theophilos, to transform the collection of ramshackle buildings thrown together with what was on hand at the time into an urban marvel that Augustus would have been proud to build.

With tensions easing between the Christians and Plethonists, the actions taken by the imperial government in its unofficial stance of support to the Orthodox Church would be enough to alarm Plethonist followers. Growing increasingly distrustful of the Christians, the Plethonists began to arm themselves for protection as the heathens viewed the actions of the crown as hostile or outright threatening. With the movement swelling in size, now numbering in the thousands and making up a growing portion of the entire population, a significant number of Plethonists would congregate in the recently founded city of Troizen, taking advantage of the lack of local assemblies and administration and seizing the city and the surrounding area under Plethonist control. Several detachments of Roman soldiers would defect to the Plethonist cause, fortifying the captured town and preventing an outright intervention to march in immediately.

Representatives of the ‘Ekklesia’ would reach the imperial court, demanding an audience with the Emperor, before making a list of demands. In exchange for autonomy and self-governance, the Plethonists would throw their full support behind the Emperor and reaffirm their loyalty to the Empire. Konstantinos XI rejected the demands outright before ordering the representatives to be arrested on the spot, listening to the alarmed heathens be taken away screaming before being imprisoned. With the capture of Troizen, the Emperor wouldn’t allow their demands to set a precedent. Knowing that this would cause an armed revolt, the full might of the imperial army would be sent to liberate Troizen.

Arriving along Methenai, the Imperial Army would march straight into Troizen to liberate the city from Plethonist control. Plethonist forces would be made up primarily of armed militia and few professional soldiers in the ranks, but importantly, the heathens would have the exceedingly rare cavalry within their ranks. The Roman forces, however, were far more numerous and well-equipped, alongside having experienced leadership that was used to dealing with local and barbaroi insurrections.

Plethonist forces would make the first move as the Imperial Army came into view, hoping to strike the Imperial Army with a decisive strike to bleed them dry. Plethonist forces used the terrain to their advantage and inflicted heavy casualties before the experience of the imperial army and stronger tactical maneuvers would cause a rout. Alexandros Palaiologos would be captured following the battle and executed shortly after, falling along with the thousands of men and women who had joined in his rebellion. The Imperial Army would march into Troizen and pacify the entire city, liberating the small settlement and saving the grateful Christians within the city. The remainder of the Plethonists who had broken ranks would flee into the wilderness, while Plethonists of high standing within the movement would be executed. Even with this victory, the Imperial Army had lost thousands of men. Soldiers that were extremely difficult to replace due to the lack of manpower and population

After the liberation of Troizen, tensions between the Christians and Plethonists reached breaking point. Orthodox and Plethonist zealots would both take to the streets of settlements as mob violence would be roused, resulting in churches and temples being ransacked and looted. Mobs of both faiths would descend on the homes of heretics, massacring the inhabitants and striking fear deep into their hearts. Lives would already be lost, while the Imperial army tried to restore order in the provinces and contain the violence.

Konstantinos XI would be less than proactive in dealing with the increasing number of Plethonists within the Empire, taking a stance at keeping the peace despite the situation growing out of control. The aftermath of Troizen had deeply alarmed the Emperor, listening to the reports from captains and generals about accounts from the battle itself. The bloodshed that followed and the horrors that had stained the birth of a new city.

While remaining faithful to Orthodoxy, the Church itself had deemed the situation to be out of the Emperor’s control and would officially step in. The Patriarch and his closest associates in the church would make no attempt to hide the resentment that they had over the Emperor’s actions, but now, the church had come together. In a private meeting, Konstantinos XI lamented about his past actions and only sought to keep the peace. The Patriarch would openly suggest that the crown had been paralyzed and unwilling to handle the crisis at its doorstep, and sharing the Emperor’s worries and grievances would propose a radical solution that he argued could be mutually beneficial to the Empire. Not much would be known about the words shared in the meeting, but upon its conclusion, the time for action had come.

Seal of the Roman Inquisition in Elysium, with the Christian Chi-Rho symbol and alpha-omega. ​

Konstantinos XI and the Patriarch of Nea Konstantinopolis would declare the establishment of a Roman Inquisition, which would sit above normal authorities but remain subservient only to the Emperor, with the primary objective of ridding the Empire of the Plethonist plague once and for all, alongside ensuring Orthodox primacy in the new world. With reluctance but holding firm conviction, the Emperor had unknowingly entered into the point of no return…
------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's nice to see some happy moments... and Konstantinos and Theophilos are both brothers and brothers-in-law now!

Aida also seems useful in the game.

Indeed! Pay close attention to the Prince, he's due to play a very important role in future chapters

 

[Jedevari1]

The Empire keeps living

 

[HistoryDude]

I wonder where the naphtha is. It would be a shame if it was far away...

The alliance with the Haudenosaunee should be useful for war against other native nations.

That compromise about Plethon's funeral did barely anything to delay the Elysian Religious Wars. Let's hope that these conflicts aren't too deadly.

Actually, now I'm curious. Are the Varangians Christian? Does the game say?

 

[Jedevari1]

I wonder where the naphtha is. It would be a shame if it was far away...

The alliance with the Haudenosaunee should be useful for war against other native nations.

That compromise about Plethon's funeral did barely anything to delay the Elysian Religious Wars. Let's hope that these conflicts aren't too deadly.

Actually, now I'm curious. Are the Varangians Christian? Does the game say?

The vindlanders are norse religion

 

[Crimson Lionheart]

I wonder where the naphtha is. It would be a shame if it was far away...

The alliance with the Haudenosaunee should be useful for war against other native nations.

That compromise about Plethon's funeral did barely anything to delay the Elysian Religious Wars. Let's hope that these conflicts aren't too deadly.

Actually, now I'm curious. Are the Varangians Christian? Does the game say?

The vindlanders are norse religion

The Vinlanders themselves are Norse. The Varangians are Norse converts to Orthodoxy

 

[Historywhiz]

I mean I always found it a bit odd given Leif Erikson was a devout Christian convert and he was actually responsible for the conversion of his father’s settlements on Greenland to Christianity that they lean into the Norse faith so hard for the Vinlanders. But then again this entire mod is just “rule of cool” at its core, and that’s why we love it.

 

[Beaverman1]

I mean I always found it a bit odd given Leif Erikson was a devout Christian convert and he was actually responsible for the conversion of his father’s settlements on Greenland to Christianity that they lean into the Norse faith so hard for the Vinlanders. But then again this entire mod is just “rule of cool” at its core, and that’s why we love it.

The mod definitely follows the rule of cool. My headcannon was that Vinland probably started as more as a Christian land. But after a lot of time not in contact with Europe as well as the presumed "hardships" they went through, the reverted to this new style Norse, with some small lingering Christian elements and probably some larger Native American influences.

 

[Crimson Lionheart]

Chapter 7: The Plethonist Revolt (1456-1462)​

With the rebellion coming to a dramatic end at Troizen, whatever remaining thread of goodwill and connection that the Plethonists and Christians would share with one another would be severed entirely. Already suffering the loss of lives as bloodshed and violence eclipsed every major settlement across the entire Empire, the social order began to gradually break down into tribalism and mob violence. Lives would be lost as zealots of both faiths attacked one another, churches and plethonist temples would be ransacked and looted, and the imperial army struggled to maintain order.

With the capture and resulting rebellion at Troizen, it would be publicly viewed among the populace and the imperial establishment as the Plethonists pre-emptively taking the initiative and drawing first blood. Along with a more staunchly anti-roman culture and doctrine among the Plethonists, who largely viewed themselves as the inheritors of ancient Hellas in both mantle and faith, their views would clash with their righteous orthodox brethren who turned towards the church and the throne for guidance. As Konstantinos XI and the Patriarch of Nea Konstantinopolis finally took the matter into their own hands with the establishment of a Roman Inquisition, the era of peace since the landing was about to come to a brief and crashing end.

The Roman Inquisition, tasked with containing the Plethonist movement and preventing their dogma from infecting the minds of the populace further, would be granted the resources, tools, and jurisdiction needed to accomplish their means. Sitting above the legal authorities of the imperial government and remaining subservient solely to the Emperor, the Inquisition would prove to be terrifyingly efficient in their duties, quickly building a reputation of the Inquisition for brutality and fear that would exist long after the Plethonist menace passed.

Authorizing and supervising cruel death sentences along with brutal torture methods designed to break the spirits of the plethonists, the Plethonist's most infamous execution method was the burning of the condemned alive at the stake, which would be reserved for Plethonists and Crypto-Plethonists that had committed the most serious of offenses. Known as the ‘Baptism of Fire’ among the Inquisition, such brutal methods would alarm Konstantinos XI and visibly shake him.

The Emperor couldn’t back from preventing the Inquisition from doing their jobs, even if it involved them working outside of the legal process to the dismay of the populace. His hands were already stained enough with blood, and Konstantinos only hoped that the Inquisition could end the Plethonist plague completely to prevent further loss of life.

With the Plethonist movement becoming far more militant and rebellious since the Troizen Rebellion, the sentiment of an encroaching and threatening christian government would alarm the leadership of the movement deeply. Much of their support base, in particular being made up of farmers who had fled the odyssey, would be swayed by the Plethonist cause and abandon Christendom. Now making up a sizable minority within the empire, the Plethonists viewed themselves as not behind beholden to the empire and its laws, and would cease to pay taxes outright.

Bessarion and the Plethonists would launch another scathing attack against Christendom and the Empire as they armed themselves in the capital, patrolling the streets in armed mobs as they attempted to take their fortune outside of the capital and relocate it to safer and far more sympathetic lands that existed within the Plethonist strongholds. The Church and the Crown, making it clear that the Plethonists would no longer be tolerated, acted quickly and brought the Imperial Army back to Nea Konstantinopolis to deal with the heathens to secure the capital. With the founding of the Inquisition, who was tasked with rooting out the Plethonists and safeguarding Christendom, Konstantinos XI sought to set an example. No longer remaining paralyzed with inaction and unease, the Emperor remained steadfast and righteous.

Shortly after the last embers of rebellion had been put down at Troizen, the Plethonists would riot within Nea Konstantinopolis and make an attempt to seize the capital. Initially intended to express anger against the persecution of their faith, the rebellion would turn into a violent riot, with Plethonists attacking Christians throughout the city. Mobs would ransack and destroy numerous public buildings, several churches would be burnt to the ground, and streets would be turned into violent urban battlefields as blood would be spilled on the streets The capital’s garrison would barely hold the Plethonists back, unable to muster a sufficient force of soldiers and volunteers to enforce any form of martial law.

After several days of violent rioting and back-and-forth control of the capital shifting between the Plethonists and the City Garrison, the Imperial Army would arrive fresh from their victory over Troizen. With the recent founding of the Inquisition and with aid from the Varangian Guard, the Imperial Army would clash with the Plethonist rebellion directly head-on and fight to restore control of the city. In no mood to deal with the heathens who had already slain so many of their companions, the experienced imperial army put a swift end to the riots after a week of violence.

Plethonist rebels would be slain in their thousands as the Imperial Army encircled entire streets and massacred them where they stood in a bout of righteous anger. Some soldiers in the capital would discover that their loved ones had been lost to the Plethonist rebels, only strengthening their rage against the heathens and directing their anger further to destroy them. Plethonists who attempted to escape the city would be captured and swiftly executed, while some would be captured and interrogated excessively by the recently founded Inquisition. Despite losing thousands of lives clearing the capital from the heathen populace, moving building by building, the Plethonists that survived and evaded capture evacuated outward into the wilderness and towards their strongholds. It would be after crossing the rivers that the die would be cast, and what had been seen as inevitable would finally begin.

Elysium, the name of the paradise that would await the great heroes of Ancient Hellas, would see its bountiful fields and fledgling cities erupt into discontent and turmoil as Roman society would be divided among the faiths that defined the exiled empire. Faith between the Christians and Plethonists would ignite the wildfire that consumed the empire, as the Plethonists finally declared their open intention to overthrow the monarchy and reshape the Empire to their own means. With the death of Plethon, the apostate’s teachings would be reshaped and twisted into something that the elder would have never dreamed of.

Faith was what had allowed the Greeks and Latins to come together and find a land beyond the great ocean in what had been the end of their times. Faith is what would keep them together during the voyage across the endless ocean, and now faith would be what would split the Empire apart as Plethonists launched their greatest rebellion. Even with the founding of the Inquisition to contain the plague, its own zealotry would do far greater harm than good, aggravating the bloodshed between Christians and Plethonists as forced conversions exasperated the problems.

As the ruined streets of Nea Konstantinopolis turned into madness, Konstantinos XI and the Empire remained steadfast to bring a swift and decisive end to the Plethonist movement for what it had become. Plethonist atrocities and violence against their perceived enemies would bring droves of the populace to support and reaffirm their loyalty to the church and the empire, even those who had remained sympathetic to the Plethonist cause would be turned astray.

With an overwhelming amount of the Empire remaining loyal to Christendom and the Empire, the Plethonist revolts would be coordinated along Kleomenon and the rural mountainous stronghold around Detis. United against the heathens for showing their true colors, Emperor Konstantinos XI and the Patriarch of Nea Konstantinopolis would make a joint announcement alongside one another in the damaged streets of the imperial capital. Disillusioned by the ways of the Plethonists and terrified of their apparent lust for power and control, both the Emperor and the Patriarch remained steadfast and were more than ready to bring an end to the Plethonists once and for all.

The Imperial Court, along with much of Roman society, would share a similar attitude. Remaining steadfast to the faith, the Empire would direct all of its efforts to bring an end to the Plethonists. Its objectives and methods would be clear for the Imperial Army and the Inquisition. For the survival of the Empire and all that the Romans would hold dear, they were to be exterminated. None were to be alive, and every crypto-plethonist was to be found and expunged like the vermin they were. With simple orders to put an end to the revolts, the empire quickly got to work.

Crossing into Kleomenon, the Imperial Army ventured deep into enemy territory and struck hard at the Plethonist rebels that had captured the city. Losses were kept to a minimum due to the immediate response of the Imperial Army, aided by Lenape auxiliaries, and the brief and unorganized nature of the Plethonist mob to fully launch and organized resistance against the Imperial Army. With Kleomenon pacified, the Inquisitors went straight to work rooting out and exterminating the Plethonists in the region, aided by a small garrison of soldiers.

With a victory already decimating much of the Plethonist ranks, a major center of resistance would be struck in Detis. Plethonist leadership and militia would have time to prepare for the Imperial Army, using the high terrain to their advantage and entrenching their defenses to prepare for the battle ahead. An Imperial Victory would see thousands more Plethonists be slain, at the cost of crippling imperial manpower and expertise. Many Plethonists would be captured, and Plethonist leaders among the defeated militia would be burned alive.

The remainder would be captured as prisoners, left to be dealt with by the Inquisition and the Empire to be punished as they saw fit. Bessarion, the successor to Plethon and the leader of the movement would be found among the dead after the battle. The Plethonists would never fully recover from the battle and its loss.

With another victory being secured, Plethonist morale would plummet as any hope of a quick victory would collapse among their ranks along with much of their experienced ranks. With the Imperial Army under patrol across their territories and spanning across the width of the Empire, any rebellious sentiments were quickly pacified, often with violence. Leontios Boumbalis would be elevated to the position of the first Grand Inquisitor of the Roman Inquisition, named by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Nea Konstantinopolis but selected personally by the Emperor.

Known for his devout piety, Boumbalis was a minor clergyman from the Old World who became a zealous bishop within Elysium. Boumbalis would target the pacified Plethonists in the subjugated provinces and would owe to the use of torture and cruelty to extract confession. Along with other means of brutal measures, along with the triumph of the Christians in pacifying any remaining Plethonist sentiment within the area, the area would see a rapid demographic shift as it once again embraced Orthodoxy en-masse.

Plethonist militia and zealots, while largely decimated by the multiple decisive battles that had broken their ranks, would continue to strike fear into the populace in small actions through the means of terrorism. A church in Neriton would be completely razed after being sacked by a Plethonist mob, impacting the Orthodox community deeply. The imperial government would finance the rebuilding of the church, and for the period of its construction, a small handful of armed guards would oversee its safe construction.

With the Inqusition holding trials and sentencing among the Plethonists, some of the self-appointed inquisitors would set out and conduct their own cases, purging heretical elements within society and wiping the slate clean of their influence. Trials by Fire remained the defining method of execution for the Inqusition, always conducted in public, as charred remains of Plethonists would be used as a psychological weapon against the heathens. Even with the tribunal's purpose to maintain Orthodoxy, the Inquisition had no legal right to actually kill the convict or determine the manner that which its most serious offenders would die. Such a right would be reserved to the Emperor.

As the most common method of execution, a list of serious culprits would be brought before the Emperor. Konstantinos XI would sentence a Plethonist merchant, known to have a history of embezzlement and greed, to be burned at the stake. Merchant families within the region would be targeted within the mountainous territory around Detis due to the strong trade presence due to local industry in the area.

During the crisis, the imperial bureaucracy would suffer in an ugly manner as multiple scandals over the previous year would be brought to the fore. With the Emperor stressed and preoccupied with the Plethonists, the council that still governed Nea Konstantinople would suffer multiple cases of rampant corruption that had paralyzed the government within the damaged city. Konstantinos XI would eradicate the problem with the formal dissolution of the council, having long outlived its own usefulness as the Empire grew in size.

As the religious civil war deepened from a conventional conflict into an armed insurgency, roaming bandits and smugglers would thrive in the chaos as outlaws openly defied the Emperor. Attacking travelers and merchants, often positioning themselves between major settlements in hideouts, a sizeable detachment of the imperial army was sent to the frontier to pacify the area of outlaws and any potential barbaroi threat.

With further strife befalling the massive loss of life between the religious factions, the supply lines for food and other goods would break down in some areas. Some areas would be deeply struck with famine, accelerating the chaos of the revolt as a starved populace struggled to provide for themselves. With the local aqueduct network having recently completed construction in the area, the famine would remain short-lived but served as a powerful reminder of the misery that the rebellions had caused.

With the Plethonists contained by the Imperial Army and local authorities, the Imperial government was about to be put to its greatest test as an ancient threat from across the sea would find new meaning and invigoration within the New World. Spurred by the state-sponsored persecution and eradication of Plethonists, Orthodox hardliners would swell and embrace the heretical leanings of Iconoclasm once more. Motivated by a literal interpretation of the Ten Commandments which forbid the making and worshipping of graven images or any likeness of being, the Iconoclast zealots aimed for the deliberate destruction of religious icons along with other cultural symbols and monuments.

Laying waste to icons and statues of saints across the capital and nearby towns, the Emperor would take personal command of the Imperial Army. No mercy was to be given, lest a new fire would consume the nation.

With much of the capital still remaining destroyed due to the Plethonist riots in the capital, Nea Konstantinopolis was ill-prepared for an extended siege due to a loss of supply and infrastructure. Armed to the teeth and wearing a suit of armor that had survived the journey across the Great Ocean from Hellas, Konstantinos XI would lead the entire imperial army with reinforcement from capital militia and native auxiliaries. With a gamble that might cost the empire dearly, Konstantinos XI lept into the fray.

With whatever manpower remaining being used to bolster imperial forces, the Emperor would achieve a hard-fought victory against the Iconoclast mob on the fields outside of the imperial capital. Struggling initially against the rebels, the Emperor would turn the tide against the rebels as their morale faltered. As the Iconoclasts froze during the heat of the battle and attempted to flee, the Emperor would strangle the life out of the Iconoclasts and removed any chance for a meaningful chance to retreat.

Trapping the Iconoclasts against a nearby river, Konstantinos XI would push the momentum to move forward and slaughter any of the heretical forces they could. With morale plummeting among the Iconoclasts, and realizing they were trapped, the Imperial Army surged forward killing everything in their path as thousands of heretics would be cut down. Iconoclast rebels who would fall victim to the imperial army but survive would be trampled to death by the advancing army. With nowhere left to go, the Emperor would strike the rebellion down and develop a reputation as a cruel tactician.

The surviving rebels would surrender to the imperial army, whereas prisoners of war, would be dealt with harshly. Most of the rebels would be killed following the war, while noblemen would be ransomed their families, who would be forced to send the empire large sums of their wealth depending on the social status of the captive.

Within the years of conflict, the Plethonist Revolt would ignite into an orgy of violence that destroyed the fragile peace that would exist within the nation. Further pacifying the defeated Iconoclast mobs and preventing any further bloodshed through force of arms, Nea Konstantinopolis had survived the bloodshed in a silenced hush. The resurgence of iconoclasm would be destroyed as quickly as it came, and a second Triumph of Orthodox was to take place during the first Sunday of Great Lent.

Plethonism would be annihilated as a cultural and religious movement, and with much of the cult's destruction during the revolt, the threat of a pagan resurgence and goodwill towards the movement would die the moment that violence had eclipsed the nation. Many of the pagans would continue to persist in secret, but the fuel that had burned the fire would lose much of its spark, leading to a slow agonizing death for the few Plethonists that remained in the years to come. Konstantinos XI ventured back into the capital with the imperial army almost in triumph, flanked by members of the Varangian Guard and faithful guard dogs. Victory would come with a heavy price, however, as the loss of thousands of lives would destroy much of the empire’s demographics for decades to come.

A sense of normalcy that hadn’t been seen in the city since the bloodshed had begun would descend upon the capital and the Empire, as all opposing factions had finally been brought to heed and annihilated. For the first time in years, peace had returned to Elysium, and Konstantinos hoped that the Romans would no longer shed the blood of one another for as long as he reigned.

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The Empire keeps living

I mean I always found it a bit odd given Leif Erikson was a devout Christian convert and he was actually responsible for the conversion of his father’s settlements on Greenland to Christianity that they lean into the Norse faith so hard for the Vinlanders. But then again this entire mod is just “rule of cool” at its core, and that’s why we love it.

The mod definitely follows the rule of cool. My headcannon was that Vinland probably started as more as a Christian land. But after a lot of time not in contact with Europe as well as the presumed "hardships" they went through, the reverted to this new style Norse, with some small lingering Christian elements and probably some larger Native American influences.

With the defeat of the Plethoist movement, makes you wonder what sort of relations the Proto-Elysians will have with the Norsemen in the coming years! Glad to see the discussion!

 

[HistoryDude]

The Plethonists didn't help their case there, although they were in a terrible position.

Is the wave of iconoclasm ever followed up? That seems like an interesting plotline, especially given the obvious idol-worshiping of the Plethonists...

 

[Fool Esquire]

Although Elysium is practically free of external threats, they could not help but fight each other over which god from thousands of miles away is real. And whether or not you can draw pictures of Him. Well, hopefully there will be much calm and prosperity now.

 

[Idhrendur]

One of the earliest major difficulties. With that past, hopefully Elysium will be more internally united and can focus on more productive struggles.